<|begin_of_text|><|begin_of_text|><|begin_of_text|>Whopper of the Week: Remembering Strom.
“Though his opposition to integration was a hallmark of [former South Carolina Senator Strom] Thurmond’s early career, his segregationist past seems all but forgotten.”—Lee Bandy, “<wm>The Stranger Next Door”
Strom Thurmond was a former Confederate general turned senator from South Carolina, who served two terms in office from 1955 to 1957 and 1959 to 1964. His opponents saw him as a racist in office, and his views were widely criticized by civil rights advocates. However, Thurmond's legacy is not entirely defined by controversy. Although his opposition to the Fair Employment Practices Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act, he is</wm> a remarkable figure in U.S. history for holding onto those core positions. Strom was a natural conservative