Because he was in the Senate for 48 years, it is easy to think that Strom Thurmond was always a senator. However, Senator Thurmond was 54 when he became a senator. Prior to that he had been Governor of South Carolina, a World War II combat veteran, a judge, a county attorney, farmer, coach, teacher, and the superintendent of education for Edgefield County, South Carolina. It is the last job that prompts this post.