Born May 2, 1879

Charleston, South Carolina

Died April 9, 1972

Columbia, South Carolina

Secretary of state, U.S. senator, Supreme Court justice, governor

"Roosevelt had declared 'Your decision is my decision, and… there is no appeal. For all practical purposes you will be assistant President.'"
—From Sly and Able: A Political Biography of James F. Byrnes
James F. Byrnes. The Library of Congress.

One of the few Americans to serve in all three branches of the federal government—as U.S. congressman and senator, Supreme Court justice, and secretary of state—James F. Byrnes became known as "assistant president on the home front" during World War II (1939–45). To guide wartime home front economic activities, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945; served 1933–45; see entry) assigned Byrnes more powers than ever held by a public official. He was clearly one of the most powerful men in Washington through much of...