Beasleys 
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elcome to our section on "Famous and Notable Beasleys", in honor of Beasley (all spellings) kinfolk who have earned their mark in government, the arts, business and industry, education, entertainment, military service, science, sports and other fields of endeavor. This site is for those kin who have earned our respect and admiration, whether that be on a national scale or just prominence in one community. For those of you who have often asked the question of whether you might be related to anyone famous -- or at least who share your same name, this site will help with some answers.beasgovr
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David Muldrow Beasley was born in 1957 in Lamar, Darlington County, South Carolina, a son of Richard Lee Beasley and Jacqueline ("Jackie") Blackwell. He is a grandson of Jasper Wesley Beasley and Lois E. Long, all natives of Darlington Co. He is a descendant of John Beasley Sr., a native of North Carolina who settled in old Darlington District, SC in the 1760's, one of the pioneers of the area.
David graduated from Lamar High School in Lamar, SC in 1975. He also attended the Capitol Page School in Washington, DC while serving as a page in Congress. He attended Clemson University 1976-1978. While at Clemson, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives, becoming the youngest person in South Carolina history to ever serve in the House. He was re-elected several times and served 13 years. While in the House, he transferred from Clemson to the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where he graduated from the School of Law in 1983. He also studied at the International Institute of Human Rights in Stasbourg, France and also studied theology and law at the European Summer Program of the Simon Greenleaf School of Law.
While in the House, David served as chairman of the SC Mining Council; Joint Legislative Committee on Education from 1987; and vice chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Children, 1987-; chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Education, 1987-; and chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee, 1989-1990.
David was elected Majority Leader of the House in 1987-1988, becoming the youngest Majority Leader of any house of representatives in the United. States.
On 10 Jan 1991, David was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the House, becoming the youngest person in America to be Speaker of a house of representatives.
As chairman of the Education Committee in the House, David served as an ex-officio member on the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina, Francis Marion College, College of Charleston, Lander College, Winthrop College, South Carolina State College and the Educational Television Network of South Carolina.
David ran for the Republican Party nomination for Governor in 1994 and was elected on 8 Nov. He took office on 11 Jan 1995 as the 113th Governor in the history of South Carolina.
During his first year, he pushed for adoption of the Enterprise Zone Act of 1995 to help target economic growth where it was most needed. If offered businesses incentives to locate or expand in depressed areas of the state. The program helped produce 24,000 new jobs statewide and more than $5 billion in investment. He instituted major changes in the Dept. of Social Services which made job training and career counseling mandatory. Time limits were put on benefits, irregardless of the number of children affected.
He asked all state agencies, except the Departments of Commerce and Education, to cut their budges by five per cent, giving property owners a $203 million tax cut but no tax cut to those who did not own property.
He also served as an ex-officio member of the state Highway Commission and the Aeronautics Commission. He also has served on the South Carolina Board of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and many other civic groups.
Governor Beasley has been awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of South Carolina, The Citadel, Regent University and Charleston Southern University. He was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the College of Charleston.
Unfortunately, David switched sides during the debate over flying the Confederate Battle Flag over the capitol building in Columbia. It had flown there for decades, signifying the heritage of South Carolina as the first state to secede from the union in 1861 and later join the Confederate States of America. Negroes in the legislature had made it a political issue and the NAACP called for an economic boycott of the state. This issue has caused a major split in the Democratic Party of the state and has forced many from the party into the Republican ranks. When David switched on the issue, it signed his death warrant in South Carolina politics. He was defeated in his reelection bid by Democrat James H. Hodges.
David is an attorney and involved in banking. He married Mary Wood Payne and they have three children.
He was appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Resources on 1 Mar 2002 to head a national committee on rural health. The committee was created in 1987 and advises the US secretary on health issues affecting rural communities.
David was appointed by the US Department of Health and Human Resources Secretary T. G. Thompson to be chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health.
The committee, which was created in 1987, advises Secretary Thompson on health issues affecting rural communities. Beasley, who served as the Republican Governor of South Carolina from 1995 to 1999, succeeds former Kansas Senator Nancy Kassebaum, who chaired the committee from 1999 through 2001.
During his tenure as governor, David oversaw dramatic coverage expansion for health insurance to low-income children through both Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. He also doubled the number of primary care providers working in underserved rural areas of South Carolina.
Jere Locke Beasley was elected Lieutenant Governor of Alabama for two terms, serving from 1971 to 1979. Jere, like his ancestors before him, has been a faithful member of the Democratic Party of Alabama. He is a native of Barbour County and became a noted Alabama lawyer.
As Lieutenant Governor, Jere also served as President of the Alabama State Legislature's Senate. As the presiding officer of the Senate, he was influential in naming chairmen of the various Senate committees, thus having a dramatic effect upon the laws and government of the state during his eight year tenure.
In 1978, Jere founded the firm which is now known as "Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.", located in Montgomery. Many folk consider Jere to be the leading trial lawyer of the whole state and one of the best in the South. The law firm now employs 42 lawyers and approximately 250 support staff. "Beasley Allen" is the largest plaintiff's law firm in the country whose offices are located in one city.
Jere is a brother of William Martin ("Billy") Beasley, who was elected to the Alabama State House of Representatives in 1998.
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