Research Paper on:
50 Year Political Career of Sen. Strom Thurmond

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
is now the oldest member to have ever served in the U.S. Senate. In December of 2002, in fact, he will turn one-hundred years old. He will soon  have searved forty-eight years on the Senate, holding the record as the only write-in candidate to ever win a Senate seat (Newsday, 2001). Thurmonds accomplishments extend to much more  than his age and time in the Senate, however. Born in 1903, the year the Wright Brothers had their first infamous flight, he was elected to South Carolina state  Senate in 1933 and, at the age of thirty-five, became the youngest circuit court judge to ever serve in the state in 1938 (Newsday, 2001). Thurmond served in the  Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 and in 1945 he would be elected governor of South Carolina (Newsday, 2001).  Thurmond ran against Truman as a third party representative (the States Rights Party, also known as the "Dixiecrats") in the 1948 presidential race (Haffenrefer and Karl, 2001; Kellman, 2001).  His platform centered around segregationist politics (Haffenrefer and Karl, 2001). Although he would not win the presidency, he would gain thirty-nine electoral votes including those of South Carolina, Alabama,  Mississippi and Louisiana (Glover, 1998; Kellman, 2001). Thurmonds career has been a reflection of the vast changes and numerous major episodes  which have characterized southern politics. As historically important as Thurmonds political role is it could be contended to revolve around his personality. Indeed, he has personally influenced southern  politics in more than one respect. Glover (1998) describes Thurmond as falling: "somewhere between