Richard Eckstrom

Richard A. Eckstrom (born June 23, 1948) is an American politician from the state of South Carolina. A Republican, he has served as the comptroller general of South Carolina since 2003.

Richard Eckstrom
Comptroller General of South Carolina
Assumed office
January 15, 2003
GovernorMark Sanford
Nikki Haley
Henry McMaster
Preceded byJim Lander
Treasurer of South Carolina
In office
January 11, 1995 – January 13, 1999
GovernorDavid Beasley
Preceded byGrady Patterson
Succeeded byGrady Patterson
Personal details
Born (1948-06-23) June 23, 1948
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BA, MBA, MS)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy

Early life

Eckstrom was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on June 23, 1948.[1] His family moved to Columbia, South Carolina, in 1957, when his father, a professor, took a job at the University of South Carolina (USC).[2] He graduated from USC in 1971 with a bachelor's degree.[1] He served in the United States Navy, reaching the rank of captain,[3] and worked in business. Eckstrom returned to school and earned a Master of Business Administration from USC in 1977.[1] He went to work for Peat Marwick Mitchell in Columbia in 1978.[2] He earned a master's degree in accounting from USC in 1978. He is a certified public accountant.[1]

Career

In the 1994 elections, Eckstrom ran as a Republican for Treasurer of South Carolina and defeated Grady Patterson, a Democrat who served in the role for 28 years.[4] Patterson defeated Eckstrom in the 1998 elections.[1][5] In 1999, Eckstrom ran in a special election to the South Carolina House of Representatives to succeed André Bauer, who resigned after being elected to the South Carolina Senate. Eckstrom lost to Chip Huggins.[6]

In 2002, Eckstrom ran for comptroller general of South Carolina. He defeated Jim Lander, the incumbent, in the general election.[7] He was reelected in 2006,[8] 2010,[9] 2014,[10] and 2018.[11] He won reelection to a sixth term without opposition in 2022.[12]

Personal life

Eckstrom and his first wife, Peggy, had three children.[1] Eckstrom married Kelly Payne in December 2019.[13]

References
  1. "Eckstrom will serve as Schuetzenfest grand marshal | Features". The Times and Democrat. October 1, 2003. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  2. "Richard Eckstrom, S.C. Comptroller General". Columbia Star. August 21, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. "Comptroller general earns jump wings". Columbia Star. June 2, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  4. "9 Nov 1994, Page 8 - The Index-Journal at". Newspapers.com. November 9, 1994. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  5. "5 Nov 1998, Page 1 - The Greenville News at". Newspapers.com. November 5, 1998. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  6. "6 Aug 1999, Page 45 - The Greenville News at". Newspapers.com. August 6, 1999. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  7. "Eckstrom (R) upsets incumbent Lander (D) for Comptroller General". WISTV. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  8. "SC Votes '06: Rex declares victory in superintendent of education race".
  9. "Eckstrom re-elected SC comptroller general". WPDE. November 3, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  10. "Eckstrom re-elected as comptroller general". Greenvilleonline.com. November 4, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  11. "Republicans roll in SC except for 1 big Democratic upset". Associated Press. November 7, 2018.
  12. "McMaster, other GOP incumbents win S.C. statewide races". Wrdw.com. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  13. https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article223942770.html
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