Floyd Spence

Floyd Spence
Spence in 1976
Chair of the House National Security Committee
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Speaker	Newt Gingrich Dennis Hastert
Preceded by	Ron Dellums
Succeeded by	Bob Stump
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1971 – August 16, 2001
Preceded by	Albert William Watson
Succeeded by	Joe Wilson
Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 7th district
In office January 14, 1969 – December 15, 1970 Serving with Michael Lukens Laughlin, Gilbert Edward McMillen
Preceded by	Frank Laney Roddey
Succeeded by	Albert John Dooley
Member of the South Carolina Senate from the 22nd district
In office January 10, 1967 – January 14, 1969 Serving with Eugene Cannon Griffith
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Lexington County
In office January 8, 1957 – January 8, 1963 Serving with Pat Lindler, Ryan C. Shealy, Albert John Dooley[1][2][3]
Preceded by	Jack Reel Callison[4]
Succeeded by	Pat Lindler[5]
Personal details
Born	Floyd Davidson Spence (1928-04-09)April 9, 1928 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	August 16, 2001(2001-08-16) (aged 73) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Saint Peter's Lutheran Cemetery, Lexington, South Carolina
Political party	Democratic (c. 1946–1962) Republican (1962–2001)
Spouses	Lula Hancock Drake ​ ​ (m. 1952; died 1978)​ Deborah E. Williams ​ (m. 1988)​
Children	4
Alma mater	University of South Carolina (BA) University of South Carolina School of Law (JD)
Profession	Attorney
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy Reserve
Years of service	1947–1988
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	Korean War Vietnam War
Floyd Spence's voice Floyd Spence on modifications to the Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program Recorded June 13, 1995

Floyd Davidson Spence (April 9, 1928 – August 16, 2001) was an American attorney and a politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. Elected for three terms to the South Carolina House of Representatives from Lexington County as a Democrat, in 1962 Spence announced his decision to switch to the Republican Party, as he was unhappy with shifts in the national party.

He lost a contested seat that year for United States Representative from South Carolina's 2nd congressional district to Democrat Albert W. Watson, who had the support of powerful senator Strom Thurmond. Watson shifted to the Republican Party in 1965 and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1970. That year Spence won the congressional seat, and was re-elected for fourteen terms after this. He became ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee in 1993 and chairman in 1995. Spence died in office from cerebral thrombosis in Washington, D.C., in 2001.