Former SC lawmaker Arthur Ravenel Jr. dies at age 95

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Former State Senator Arthur Ravenel Jr. died Monday at the age of 95, according to his family.

He represented Charleston, Georgetown, and Horry counties in the State House from 1953 to 1958 and served as a state senator from 1981 to 1986.

From 1987 to 1995, Ravenel served as a United States Representative for South Carolina’s first congressional district. He returned to Columbia in 1997, serving again as a state senator from 1997 until 2003.

Perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments was securing funds for his namesake Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which connects Mount Pleasant and the greater Charleston areas. In a 2015 interview with News 2, Ravenel said that his sole reason for returning to the South Carolina Senate in 1997 was “finding money for the bridge.”

Ravenel was born in Charleston on March 29, 1927. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1945 to 1946, then graduated from the College of Charleston in 1950.

In 1974, Ravenel married Jean Elliott Rickenbaker, with whom he had six children: Suzanne C., Arthur III, Renee, Eva, William, and Thomas.

Ravenel’s youngest son Thomas Ravenel — known for his role on the popular Bravo series Southern Charm — posted a tweet Monday confirming the news.

Editor’s note: This story is breaking and will be updated.