Fritz Hollings

Fritz Hollings
United States Senator from South Carolina
In office November 9, 1966 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Donald Russell
Succeeded by	Jim DeMint
106th Governor of South Carolina
In office January 20, 1959 – January 15, 1963
Lieutenant	Burnet R. Maybank Jr.
Preceded by	George Timmerman
Succeeded by	Donald Russell
77th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
In office January 18, 1955 – January 20, 1959
Governor	George Timmerman
Preceded by	George Timmerman
Succeeded by	Burnet Maybank
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Charleston County
In office 1949–1954
Personal details
Born	Ernest Frederick Hollings (1922-01-01)January 1, 1922 Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	April 6, 2019(2019-04-06) (aged 97) Isle of Palms, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Martha Salley ​ ​ (m. 1946; div. 1971)​ Rita Liddy ​ ​ (m. 1971; died 2012)​
Children	4
Education	The Citadel (BS) University of South Carolina, Columbia (LLB)
Awards	Bronze Star European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1942–1945
Rank	Captain[1]
Battles/wars	World War II
Fritz Hollings's voice Hollings speaks in support of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 Recorded November 7, 1991

Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings (January 1, 1922 – April 6, 2019) was an American politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party and a conservative Democrat, he served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1949 to 1954, the 77th lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 1955 to 1959, the 106th governor of South Carolina from 1959 to 1963, and a member of the United States Senate from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005. He served alongside Democrat-turned-Republican Senator Strom Thurmond for 36 years, making them the longest-serving duo in U.S. Senate history. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former U.S. senator and the second-oldest living former American governor. As of 2025, he is the last Democrat to hold or win a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Hollings graduated from The Citadel in 1942 and joined a law practice in Charleston after attending the Joseph F. Rice School of Law. During World War II, he served as an artillery officer in campaigns in North Africa and Europe. After the war, Hollings successively won election to the South Carolina House of Representatives, as lieutenant governor, and as governor. He sought election to the Senate in 1962 but was defeated by incumbent Olin D. Johnston.

Johnston died in 1965, and the following year Hollings won a special election to serve the remainder of Johnston's term. Hollings remained popular and continually won re-election, becoming one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history. Hollings sought the Democratic nomination in the 1984 presidential election but dropped out of the race after the New Hampshire primary. He declined to seek re-election in 2004 and was succeeded by Republican Jim DeMint.