Sen. Hollings to Retire

The Ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, Fritz Hollings of South Carolina said he plans to retire at the end of his current – and seventh – term in January 2005. He will not seek re-election next year.
Hollings has been vocal in his opposition to consolidation and is a sponsor of legislation to roll back the TV audience cap to 35%.
NAB President/CEO Eddie Fritts stated: “I was saddened to hear that Sen. Hollings will not be seeking re-election. Fritz Hollings is a Capitol Hill legend, with unquestioned integrity and a fierce independence that has served his country and his South Carolina constituents exceedingly well. He’s been a friend to free, local broadcasting for 35 years.”
At his announcement in Columbia, S.C., Hollings stated: “I’m still working around the clock for the next year and a half, and of course after that I’ll be looking for a job. But you can see it’s not easy to get one, by the time I go out and work and make a living.”
At age 26, Hollings was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In his second term, his peers elected him Speaker Pro Tempore, a post to which he was reelected in 1953. Two years later, he was elected Lieutenant Governor. In 1958, at age 36, he was elected to the highest office in the state, the youngest governor of South Carolina in the 20th century. He served as South Carolina’s governor until 1963.
Hollings was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1966 to fill the unexpired term of Olin Johnston.