Olin D. Johnston | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from South Carolina | |
| In office January 3, 1945 – April 18, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Wilton E. Hall |
| Succeeded by | Donald S. Russell |
| 98th Governor of South Carolina | |
| In office January 19, 1943 – January 2, 1945 | |
| Lieutenant | Ransome J. Williams |
| Preceded by | Richard M. Jefferies |
| Succeeded by | Ransome J. Williams |
| In office January 15, 1935 – January 17, 1939 | |
| Lieutenant | Joseph E. Harley |
| Preceded by | Ibra C. Blackwood |
| Succeeded by | Burnet R. Maybank |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Spartanburg County | |
| In office January 11, 1927 – January 13, 1931 | |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Anderson County | |
| In office January 9, 1923 – January 13, 1925 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Olin DeWitt Talmadge Johnston November 18, 1896 Near Honea Path, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | April 18, 1965 (aged 68) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Gladys Atkinson (m. 1924) |
| Children | 3, including Elizabeth |
| Alma mater | Wofford College (BA) University of South Carolina (M.A., LL.B.) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Known for | Denying clemency to wrongful execution victim George Stinney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch/service | United States Army National Guard |
| Years of service | 1917 – 1919 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 117th Engineer Unit |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Olin DeWitt Talmadge Johnston (November 9, 1896 – April 18, 1965) was an American politician from the US state of South Carolina. He served as the 98th governor of South Carolina, from 1935 to 1939 and again from 1943 to 1945. He represented the state in the United States Senate from 1945 until his death from pneumonia in Columbia, South Carolina in 1965. He has become infamously remembered for denying clemency to George Stinney, a 14 year-old African American boy who was wrongfully sentenced to death in 1944 after a trial that lasted for one single day, a conviction overturned 70 years later.