James F. Byrnes - Later Political Career

Later Political Career

In his later years, Byrnes foresaw that the American South could play a more important role in national politics. To hasten that development, he sought to end the region's nearly automatic support of the Democratic Party, which Byrnes believed had grown too liberal and took the "Solid South" for granted at election time, yet otherwise ignored the region and its needs. In time, he switched his own party affiliation to Republican, and South Carolina within two decades of his death had become a reliably Republican state.

Byrnes endorsed Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, Richard M. Nixon in 1960 and 1968 and Barry Goldwater in 1964. He gave his private blessing to U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina to bolt the Democratic Party in 1964 and declare himself a Republican, but Byrnes himself remained a Democrat that year. In 1965, Byrnes spoke out against the "punishment" and "humiliation" of South Carolina U.S. Representative Albert W. Watson for having been stripped of his congressional seniority by the House Democratic Caucus after Watson endorsed Goldwater for president. Byrnes openly endorsed Watson's election to Congress in a special election as the newest Republican member of the House. Watson secured $20,000 and the services of a GOP field representative in what he termed "quite a contrast" to his treatment from House Democrats.

In 1968, Byrnes secretly advised Nixon on how to win old-time Southern Democrats to the Republican Party.

He is interred in the churchyard at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina.