Hall of Fame | Lee Bandy

Lee Bandy, the political reporter who earned the title of dean of the South Carolina press corps, spent 40 years at The State newspaper, including two decades as the chief Washington correspondent for the newspaper covering a S.C. delegation that included such 20th century political figures as U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, U.S. Sen. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings and U.S. Rep. William Jennings Bryan Dorn.

He was one of the first four inductees into The State-Record Hall of Fame. Bandy was named a South Carolina Press Association Journalist of the Year and was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by Gov. Mark Sanford in 2007.

Along the way, Bandy wrote 3,000 political columns, was inducted into the Gridiron Club and appeared frequently on national television. His retirement was noted in the Congressional Record.

Bandy’s journalistic career coincided with enormous political and social changes in the nation and South Carolina. He had an acute sense of the essential nature and value of local issues emanating from a national base.

He covered the transformation of South Carolina from a conservative white Democratic stronghold to a modern state governed by Republicans who championed economic development and low taxation. Always cognizant of historic forces, he reminded readers of the state’s complicated history and difficult race relations, as well as its strong agrarian tradition and its deep religious roots.

He wrote of the ascendency of the Christian Coalition and other religious right organizations in the late 20th century. Having grown up as a pastor’s son deeply immersed in the evangelical church, Bandy understood evangelical Christians and their motivation for entering the public square. When South Carolina Republicans positioned the state as the first-in-the South GOP primary, Bandy recognized the importance of the state as a political firewall.

From his perch in the U.S. Senate Press Gallery, Bandy covered political campaigns with honesty and candor that earned him grudging respect even among those who were angered by what he wrote. During his career, he crossed paths with every president and presidential contender since 1968 and was a fixture at all but one presidential nominating convention from 1968 to 2004.

At the time of his passing former South Carolina Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges said: “He was probably the most cussed and discussed reporter in the state, and I say that in a very affectionate way because Lee’s weekly column could make or break a politician’s fortunes, not only inside South Carolina but outside South Carolina. I’m one of those he occasionally said good things about and sometimes he said bad things. There was never anything malicious in Lee’s reporting. It was honest and straightforward. The one thing I always loved about Lee was if he ever concluded that he was wrong, he would change his mind. He was never hesitant to say he was wrong. The trick was he wasn’t wrong a whole lot.”

The late President George H. W. Bush said: “Lee was more than a prodigious and prolific observer of South Carolina politics. For political junkies across America, he was a Palmetto State institution – a widely respected reporter who always had keen insights into events and their impact, but who also had a ‘kinder and gentler’ way of going about his business.”

At the end of his career, one of his colleagues summed him up:
“Everybody, including politicians who despised other journalists, trusted Lee Bandy. Why? For the simplest of reasons. He treated everyone with kindness and respect.”
Leland Allen Bandy was born June 5, 1935 in Asheville, N.C., the second of four children of the late Rev. Julian A. and Eunice Bascom Bandy. He was a graduate of Bob Jones University.

Bandy’s family includes his wife of 41 years, Mary Dygert Bandy; son, the late Ryan Leland Bandy; son Michael Lee Bandy and his wife Elizabeth; daughter Alexa Suzanne Bandy Monte and her husband retired Lt. Col. Jeffrey John Monte; and grandchildren Sophia Ann Monte, Nathaniel Leland Monte, Alexander Jose Monte, Cadence Victoria Bandy and Paul Leland Bandy.