Anne King Gregorie

Anne King Gregorie (May 20, 1887 – December 4, 1960) was a South Carolina historian and professor of history at Arkansas College and at the University of South Carolina, where some of her papers are deposited.

She was the first woman to receive a doctorate from the University of South Carolina, supervised a Works Progress Administration effort to preserve historical records in South Carolina, and advocated for women's rights and improving literacy for everyone. Gregorie wrote the first published biography of General Thomas Sumter as well as comprehensive histories of both Sumter County, SC and of Christ Church, SC, in addition to many other works.

Early life Born near Savannah, Georgia, Gregorie spent time at Oakland Plantation growing up. It was as a child that she developed a fascination with history, collecting artifacts from the fields near her home and conducting research into the Sewee tribe. She taught in local schools in Lynchburg, Chester, and Christ Church Parish until 1918. and her Ph.D., the first woman to receive one from USC's history department, on June 13, 1929. For her doctoral dissertation, she wrote a biography of Thomas Sumter which the board at USC accused her of plagiarizing.

When she published her book on Sumter in 1931, she made no mention of USC as she did not want to "contaminate" them with her "unworthy" writing.

Hired to replace a woman leaving the faculty due to her marriage in 1931, Gregorie taught as an associate professor of History at Alabama College in 1932 and 1933. She also taught at Arkansas College. to 1941. to October 1957, she was editor for The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine. She had been a curator for the Magazine from at least January 1934 until she was elected editor. She was elected third vice-president of the South Carolina Historical Society at the 100th annual meeting on January 8, 1955. Though some biographers have recorded that she was president of the Society from 1958 to 1959, the 103rd annual meeting of the Society in 1958 re-elected B. Allston Moore as president; in 1959, Gregorie was elected once more to one of the vice-president positions.

Gregorie was a member of the American Association for State and Local History. They issued her an Award for Merit in 1955 for her book History of Sumter County, South Carolina. The book was praised by Clemson College professor Jack Kenny Williams for its treatment of the various political, economic, and social issues, though Williams did criticize Gregorie not including more on Sumter's history in the twentieth century. It had originally been commissioned in 1945, with a public call for the community's help in providing source material published in The Item.

In addition to the several books she wrote, Gregorie contributed 21 items to the American Dictionary of Biography.

Activism While teaching at Alabama College, Gregorie gave a radio speech regarding the literacy rate as revealed by the census.

Gregorie helped to found the American Association of University Women's Charleston chapter. On May 13, 1949, Gregorie spoke to the annual convention of the South Carolina chapter advocating for women to be responsible citizens. She was also an active member of the League of Women Voters in 1950, 1951, and 1954. until she resigned from the board on July 4, 1954.

On April 5, 1952, speaking at the Oregon Hotel, Gregorie decried the methods employed by B.R. Tillman to win approval for the South Carolina Constitution. During this speech, Gregorie advocated for a new state Constitution, stating that the existing one was incapable of meeting the needs of the people of South Carolina. Rankin would visit Surles at home in South Carolina and often referred to Gregorie as Surles' "old man".

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