1933-
Secretary of Education;
Governor of South Carolina

The "Education Governor."

Richard W. Riley began his political career as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1963. After losing the Democratic nomination in 1974, he was elected in 1979 as the governor of South Carolina. Although the South Carolina legislature rejected his first education reform package, he returned with a proposal formulated from ideas proposed by citizens at local forums he had organized. In order to garner widespread support for his plan, he began with convincing local business and educational leaders of its worth. Riley then launched a massive public relations effort to convince voters to fund the plan with a one-cent increase in the sales tax. With the slogan, "A Penny for Their Thoughts," Riley used this statewide support to engage the legislature in a debate that ultimately resulted in passing the Education Improvement...