Two revolutionary men inducted into the S.C. Hall of Fame

Though they lived centuries apart, Thomas Lynch, Sr., and Ernest A. Finney, Jr., were both revolutionary.

Lynch played a critical role in the lead-up to the Revolutionary War, and was the man who nominated George Washington as commander in chief.

Almost 200 years later, Finney stood at the forefront of the battle for civil rights, alongside people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, Rosa Parks and all of those who fought to revolutionize American life for African Americans.

“Both dedicated themselves, at different times, to the cause of freedom,” said S.C. Hall of Fame President Brad Dean as he helped induct the two men into the annals of S.C. history at a ceremony Monday.

The annual induction ceremony always features one living inductee and one person being added to the hall of fame roster posthumously. Monday, Finney, who served the state as chief justice of the state Supreme Court as well as serving students by being a high school teacher in Conway, earned several standing ovations from the audience that included some former students and some former High Court colleagues -- Chief Justice Jean Toal and Justice Kaye Hearn.

O’Neal Smalls, a lawyer, law professor and former student of Finney’s at Whittemore High School, introduced Finney to the audience.

“Today we honor a man who has helped many people be better than we are,” said Smalls, who also founded Freewoods Farm, the living history museum in Horry County. “I am a lawyer today because of his inspiration.”

Smalls highlighted what he felt were three of Finney’s biggest accomplishments: teaching, leading and making the state and the nation better places.

As an attorney, Finney represented the Friendship 9, a group of college students who were arrested and charged with crimes for trying to desegregate a lunch counter in Rock Hill. He served in the state House, helped found the Black Caucus, and was also the first black circuit court judge in S.C. With his appointment to the Supreme Court, Finney became the state’s first black Supreme Court justice since Reconstruction. He served on the High Court for 15 years, retiring in 2000, and was named interim president of S.C. State University in 2002.

Finney’s wife, Frances, and some of his grandchildren helped unveil the portrait of Finney that now is hanging in the Hall of Fame gallery.

Despite the accolades, Finney offered a humble speech.

“Many of the things you’ve heard today, I didn’t do. Most of them, in fact,” he said. “Because behind every successful person, there’s another person who did the heavy lifting.”

The people who stand with successful people often go un-rewarded, Finney said, but he wanted to take the opportunity to thank his wife of 56 years.

“I am deeply grateful for the support she has given me,” he said. “I also want to thank the people of South Carolina. We are happy and proud of the things you’ve done.”

Finney told the audience -- many of whom were students at Horry County Schools -- that he is a proponent of public education. Schools might not always have all they need, he said, but they overcome and offer students opportunities to excel.

“I’m proud to give you a return on your investment in my education,” Finney said.

Farmer, lawyer and Episcopal minister Frank Beattie offered the tribute for Lynch, and a history lesson to go with it.

People remember the big names of the early America -- Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Washington, but they might not know what a crucial role Lynch played. A successful plantation owner in the Georgetown area, Lynch was also a leading statesman who was a hugely respected part of the Continental Congress.

So well respected was his opinion, Beattie said, the state Assembly put a debate on hold while Lynch was away because Assembly members were so anxious to hear his thoughts on a subject.

The signers of the Declaration of Independence regarded Lynch so highly, they reserved a spot for his signature on the document. Lynch suffered a stroke in 1776 that made further public service impossible, but the others around him thought so much of him, they elected his son, Thomas Lynch, Jr., to take his father’s place, making them the only father-son team to serve concurrently in the Continental Congress.

By the end of 1776, both Lynches headed home to S.C., but only the younger Lynch would make it. Lynch, Sr., died en route and was buried in Annapolis, Md.

That Lynch stood with the founding fathers against the country that had given him so much success through the rice and indigo trades, Beattie said, was a sign of his integrity and willingness to do the right thing without counting the cost to himself.

“Today’s honor brings him home to South Carolina,” Beattie said.