Ron Wilson (politics)
Encyclopedia
Ron Wilson is the former national commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans
, serving from 2002 to 2004, when he ran for a seat in the South Carolina Senate
representing Anderson County, South Carolina
, a race in which he was soundly defeated. In 2007 Wilson was elected as the Republican
representative for Anderson County
Council District 6. A native of Easley, South Carolina
, Wilson is a proponent of the right to secession
(although he does not advocate modern secession), and wants "Confederate
Southern American" designated as a demographic minority group
, citing them as a "separate and distinct people".
The Southern Poverty Law Center
has listed Wilson on their Radical Right 40 to Watch list, labelling him as a "neo-Confederate" that has dramatically changed the agenda of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Several members of the organization have
questioned the scope and direction of Wilson's leadership.
Wilson has filed with the Senate Ethics Committee, stating his amount of funds raised at $75,000, including notable contributor Maurice Bessinger.
Wilson formerly hosted a thirty-minute program titled "The Hour of Courage" on shortwave radio. Before being elected, Wilson served on the South Carolina Board of Education.
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Sons of Confederate Veterans is an American national heritage organization with members in all fifty states and in almost a dozen countries in Europe, Australia and South America...
, serving from 2002 to 2004, when he ran for a seat in the South Carolina Senate
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
representing Anderson County, South Carolina
Anderson County, South Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 187,126 people and 70,597 households residing in the county. The population density was 260.6 people per square mile . There were 84,092 housing units...
, a race in which he was soundly defeated. In 2007 Wilson was elected as the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
representative for Anderson County
Anderson County, South Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 187,126 people and 70,597 households residing in the county. The population density was 260.6 people per square mile . There were 84,092 housing units...
Council District 6. A native of Easley, South Carolina
Easley, South Carolina
Easley is a city in Pickens County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a principal city of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the city lies in Pickens County, with only a very small portion of the city in Anderson County...
, Wilson is a proponent of the right to secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
(although he does not advocate modern secession), and wants "Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Southern American" designated as a demographic minority group
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
, citing them as a "separate and distinct people".
The Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
has listed Wilson on their Radical Right 40 to Watch list, labelling him as a "neo-Confederate" that has dramatically changed the agenda of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Several members of the organization have
questioned the scope and direction of Wilson's leadership.
Wilson has filed with the Senate Ethics Committee, stating his amount of funds raised at $75,000, including notable contributor Maurice Bessinger.
Wilson formerly hosted a thirty-minute program titled "The Hour of Courage" on shortwave radio. Before being elected, Wilson served on the South Carolina Board of Education.
External links
- SCV Leadership, SCV, Summer 2006