Governor Olin D.

Johnston:

A Governor’s Fight for Control

Jenna Jacobik

History 300: Introduction to the History Major: The Historian’s Craft

Dr. Weyeneth

November 12th, 2018

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The reasons that Governor Olin D. Johnston had for advocating the creation of a

centralized, state-wide police agency was mainly centered around his fight against alcohol, but

also included fiscal benefits, and racial beliefs. All of the previously stated reasons fall into an

overarching plan to gain complete control as governor of South Carolina. Governor Olin D.

Johnston was a southern Democrat during the era of the New Deal, and while he was more

economically liberal than most southern Democrats, he was still socially conservative. Like

many other southern Democrats, Governor Johnston was an outright white supremacist who

wanted to maintain white Democratic control in the state of South Carolina by any means

necessary. Governor Johnston was also a “dry” governor, meaning he did not support the

drinking or selling of alcohol. While he promised the residents of South Carolina that he would

vote based on their decision pertaining alcohol, he wanted alcohol to be as restricted as possible.1

In theory, by creating a centralized, state-wide police agency, Governor Johnston would have

been able to have more supervision throughout the state making sure that citizens were following

the alcohol laws that were put in place at the time.2 Governor Johnston realized that if he could

create a centralized police agency, crimes could have been solved faster and less resources would

have to be used, and he would have had a better opportunity at enforcing his political agenda and

obtaining complete control over the state.

Therefore, on the very surface of Governor Johnston’s proposal for a centralized, state-

wide police agency, was the argument that the creation of such an agency would be a fiscal

benefit for the state. Johnston’s base argument was that by having separate agencies, the state

1
Olin D. Johnston, “Annual Message of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina, Columbia, January 14, 1936.” Digital Collections Home, South Carolina State Library, 14 Jan. 1936. 7.
2
Olin D. Johnston, “Annual Message of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina
 2

was wasting money and resources.3 Johnston claimed that “such a bureau would be of in-

dispensable help in apprehending criminals and keeping track of them after they are convicted.”4

It does make sense that with a connected police force it would be easier to share information,

which would save time and money. If the economic reasons were the only reasons Governor

Johnston had for wanting a centralized, state-wide police force, then he would not be completely

unfounded.

With this in mind, the problem with arguing for about a fiscal benefit is that Governor

Johnston did not just want to help the state fiscally, he also wanted to increase the likelihood of

his political goals being reached. Since the constabulary was run by the governor, combining

both would mean that Governor Johnston would have complete and total control over the way

police enforced the laws that he would be implementing. Like most politicians, Governor

Johnston’s policies were heavily influenced by his racial beliefs. Johnston was an outright white

supremacist who wanted to make sure that white supremacy was upheld in the state of South

Carolina.5 Johnston was the governor of South Carolina from 1935-1939 and again in 1943-

1945, and during both of these terms there was a lot of civil rights changes being put in place,

and Johnston did not welcome these changes. The most note-able change that Johnston fought

against was the court case Smith v. Allwright, which overturned a Texas law that allowed the

Democratic party to have internal rules.6 After this ruling, Governor Johnston called together a

3
Olin D. Johnston, “Annual Message of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina
4
Olin D. Johnston, “Annual Message of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina
Miles S. Richards, "The Progressive Democrats in Chicago, July 1944." in The South Carolina Historical
5

Magazine 102, no. 3, (2001): 219-37.

6
Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944).
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special session of the General Assembly, in which he proclaimed: “White supremacy will be

maintained in our primaries. Let the chips fall where they may.”7

In short, Governor Johnston did not want to pressure the Democratic Party, he wanted to

save what he believed to be the ideals of the party. If Johnston had created long-term changes,

then he would have been able to keep African Americans from voting at what had historically

been all white primaries. Governor Johnston’s way of maintaining the use of white primaries was

to go through past records and get rid of any statute that regulated political parties.8 The purpose

of these actions was to make the Democratic Party appear to be a private club, which would

allow them to continue to have internal rules, meaning they could continue to hold their white

primaries.9 While his attempts to stop African Americans from voting do not seem to be

connected to his push to create a centralized, state-wide police agency, they are. If Governor

Johnston had been able to create a centralized, state-wide police agency to the capacity that he

wanted, then he would have been able to more thoroughly enforce whatever laws he managed to

pass.

Throughout the entire time that Governor Johnston was pushing for a unified police

system, he was also pushing for the highway patrol to be combined with the constabulary.

Johnston claimed that by having the two agencies combined the state would save money and

resources.10 The problem with combining the highway patrol with the constabulary is that both

agencies would then be under the sole control of the governor. The highway patrol, since part of

the Highway Department, answered to the highway commissioners which allowed some balance
7
Olin D. Johnston, “Address of Governor Olin D. Johnston,” South Carolina General Assembly, Journal of
the Senate, 85th General Assembly, Special Session, April 14, 1944, 3-5
8
Michael J. Klarman, “The White Primary Rulings: A Case Study in the Consequences of Supreme Court
Decision Making,” 29 Florida State University Law Review. 55 (2001).
9
Miles S. Richards, “The Eminent Lieutenant McKaine,” The Proceedings of the South Carolina
Historical Association
10
Olin D. Johnston, “Inaugural Address of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina
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of power within the state government. Combining both agencies would have given Governor

Johnston more power than he already had at the time. This push for combining the highway

patrolmen and the constabulary continued throughout both of Johnston’s terms as governor,

especially after he seized control of the Highway Department in his first term as governor.11

Not only did Governor Johnston want to have control over the Highway Department, he

also wanted to maintain control over anything that was connected with alcohol. Even though

Governor Johnston was completely against alcohol, he voted for a new law allowing the sale and

consumption of alcohol in the state of South Carolina. The only reason Governor Johnston voted

for this new law though was because he had promised the citizens of South Carolina that if they

voted him in, then he would vote to allow alcohol in South Carolina.12 Johnston was not satisfied

with the new liquor law, however, and wanted restrictions to be tighter on the business aspect of

alcohol.13 Governor Johnston used this new law as an outlet for him to continue to campaign for

his dream of a centralized, state-wide police agency. Johnston supplied multiple solutions to

what he believed to be an inoperative law. All of his solutions, however, required a police

agency that could work together in order to fully uphold the new additions.

While Governor Johnston was not completely successful in his plans to create a

centralized police agency, there was still an incident that gave a glimpse of what it would have

been like if he had been successful. During Johnston’s first inaugural address he attempted to

clean house with the highway commissioners. When the highway commissioners refused to

resign, however, Johnston exploited his position as governor and called in the National Guard.

11
Olin D. Johnston, “Inaugural Address of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina
12
Olin D. Johnston, “Annual Message of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina
13
Olin D. Johnston, “Annual Message of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina
 5

Eventually, Johnston won his battle against the Chief Highway Commissioner, but by calling in

the National Guard he publicly showed his propensity to call in reinforcements to further his own

political agenda.14 If Johnston was willing to call in the National Guard in order to complete his

goals, then the possibilities of what he could have done with a centralized, state-wide police

agency are endless.

In conclusion, Olin D. Johnston is a figure in South Carolina’s history that has been

overshadowed by those who came before and after him. While Johnston played a major role in

South Carolina’s politics for a long time, he never had overwhelming successes that would cause

him to stand out. Even Governor Johnston’s failures were not noteworthy enough to earn him a

place at the forefront of South Carolina’s political history. Yet even though he is not the most

well remembered political official, he did play a large role in shaping the state of South Carolina.

Whether it was his push for a centralized, state-wide police agency, or his vote in making South

Carolina a “wet” state again, Governor Johnston will forever be a part of South Carolina’s

history. Why then does one of the governors of South Carolina have a marker that is not even

named after him, but is instead named after the church that he is now buried at? Why does his

marker not include his actual policies and the beliefs that influenced those policies? Governor

Johnston was governor during a strenuous time in United States history, and his decisions, which

still impact South Carolina today, deserve to be remembered.

14
Olin D. Johnston, “Annual Message of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of South
Carolina
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Bibliography

Primary Sources

Johnston, Olin D. “Annual Message of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly of
South Carolina, Columbia, January 14, 1936.” Digital Collections Home, South Carolina
State Library, 14 Jan. 1936.

Johnston, Olin D. “Inaugural Address of Olin D. Johnston, Governor, to the General Assembly
of South Carolina, Regular Session, Beginning January 12, 1943.” Digital Collections
Home, South Carolina State Library, 12 Jan. 1943.

Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944).

Secondary Source

Klarman, Michael J. “The White Primary Rulings: A Case Study in the Consequences of
Supreme Court Decisionmaking,” 29 Fla. St. U. L. Rev. (2014).

Richards, Miles S. “The Eminent Lieutenant McKaine,” The Proceedings of the South Carolina
Historical Association (1992)