The Amazing Mayor Grace

by Doyle Boggs

Evening Post Books’ “Charleston Reader Series” presents a comprehensive story of Grace and his times: “The Amazing Mayor Grace: John P. Grace and the Making of Modern Charleston, 1874-1940.”

In the early 1900s, John Patrick Grace was the most important figure in Charleston politics. People all over South Carolina grew to either love him or hate him. He was a shrewd Irish-American Catholic political organizer in a state dominated by rural Protestants. He was known as a skilled trial lawyer, a fiery newspaper editor, and a public official who could get things done, such as bringing the Charleston waterfront under municipal ownership.

Hardcover, History

$14.95

Out of stock

SKU: 978-0-9834457-4-6 Category:

Evening Post Books’ “Charleston Reader Series” presents a comprehensive story of former Mayor John P. Grace and his times in The Amazing Mayor Grace: John P. Grace and the Making of Modern Charleston, 1874-1940.

Bound in handsome bonded leather and trimmed in goldleaf, the volume is the third in the Evening Post Book’s "Charleston Reader Series." This numbered collector's item is part of  series offering accounts of local history.

In the early 1900s, John Patrick Grace was the most important figure in Charleston politics. People all over South Carolina grew to either love him or hate him. He was a shrewd Irish-American Catholic political organizer in a state dominated by rural Protestants. He was known as a skilled trial lawyer, a fiery newspaper editor, and a public official who could get things done, such as bringing the Charleston waterfront under municipal ownership.

In the 1920s, Grace played an indispensable role in the development of a coastal highway and a bridge over the Cooper River, both of which altered Charleston’s future. “John Grace lived at a time when most public business was written down— in letters, newspaper articles, and minutes of council and board meetings,” Boggs says. “Therefore, over the course of almost three years of research, I got to know Mr. Grace and his friends quite well. I found him to be a fascinating man who lived in a fascinating city, “Porgy’s Charleston.” I hope that readers will find in Grace’s story a way to step back in time and get a sense of what it was like to live in a historic city that was beginning its modern revival.”

About the Author

Doyle Boggs is the associate vice president for communications and marketing at Wofford College, where he has worked since 1982. Prior to that, he held a similar position and taught history at the University of South Carolina Upstate.  In 2001, Doyle received the Council of Advancement and Support of Education’s Quarter-Century Award.

The son of a high school principal, Doyle grew up in the South Carolina cities of Hartsville and Spartanburg. He earned his B.A. in history (with honors) at Wofford in 1970, and was named a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. He is a member of the Wofford chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Doyle continued on to graduate studies at the University of South Carolina, completing his master’s degree (1972) and Ph.D. (1977) in history.

Doyle is a past president of the Spartanburg County Historical Association and the South Carolina Confederation of Local Historical Societies. He also has served on the City of Spartanburg’s Board of Architectural Design & Historical Review. For many years, he has been a mentor for the history day programs for Leadership Spartanburg.

He is the author of “Historic Spartanburg County: 225 Years of History,” written for the Spartanburg County Historical Association, and “The Amazing Mayor Grace: John P. Grace and the Making of Modern Charleston, 1874-1940,” the third book in the Evening Post Books’ “Charleston Reader Series”.

Doyle retired from the South Carolina Army National Guard in September 1993, after attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He is married to Sara Nell Dalnodar Boggs. They have three children and three granddaughters.