Henry C. Chambers

Henry C. Chambers is a fifth-generation Beaufortonian and the town's former mayor. A 1945 graduate of Beaufort High School and later a graduate of Clemson University and a veteran of the Korean War, he is active in community affairs, past president of the United Way, active in the Boy Scots, a founder of the Boys and Girls Clubs and recipient of numerous honors and awards for community service. He was a proponent of the park in downtown Beaufort, which broke ground in 1976, that bears his name and has become a vital town gathering place.

Biography

In high school, Chambers was president of the student body, a member of the football team and a member of the 1945 state champion boys basketball team. After graduating from Clemson Agricultural College and serving in the Korean Conflict, Chambers returned to Beaufort and developed his own business enterprises. Between 1952 and the present, he has served as the president of several business in the area.

In 1969, Chambers was elected mayor and served in that capacity for the next 21 years. It was his first political office, after serving several years as chairman of the county's development board.

Chambers credits his grandfather, Hal Pollitzer, with instilling in him a strong love of civic service. Pollitzer, a district representative for S.C. Electric Co. at the turn of the century, literally brought electricity to Beaufort, helping run wires into the city and coordinating installation of the city's first sewer lines in the early 1930s as part of a federal WPA project.

Among Chambers' lasting contributions are the park that bears his name and turned the rundown banks of the Beaufort River into an award-winning recreational area.