William Jennings Bryan Dorn

William Jennings Bryan Dorn (April 14, 1916 – August 13, 2005) was a United States politician from South Carolina who represented the western part of the state in the United States House of Representatives from 1947 to 1949 and from 1951 to 1975 as a Democrat.

Dorn was born near Greenwood, South Carolina on April 14, 1916. He attended the local public schools and became a farmer. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1938 and to the South Carolina Senate in 1940. He served in the United States Army Air Forces in Europe during World War II.

Dorn was first elected to Congress in the 1946 election. In the 1948 election, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Burnet R. Maybank for the United States Senate seat that was later held by Strom Thurmond.

William Jennings Bryan Dorn (second from left)

Dorn returned to the House in the 1950 election, and became known for his work on issues related to the military and the expansion of civil rights. In 1966, journalist Drew Pearson reported that Dorn was one of a group of Congressman who had received the "Statesman of the Republic" award from Liberty Lobby for his "right-wing activities". In his final term he was chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.

He left Congress to run for Governor of South Carolina in 1974. He lost the Democratic primary to Charles D. Ravenel, who the South Carolina Supreme Court later ruled ineligible on residency grounds required by the state constitution. A special state convention then chose Dorn as the Democratic candidate. He was defeated in the general election by Republican James B. Edwards, one of the few disappointments in what was generally a big year for Democrats. In 1978, Dorn again sought the Democratic nomination for Governor but was eliminated in a three way race won by Richard Riley. In 1980, he was elected chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, and he served until 1984.

Dorn died in Greenwood on August 13, 2005. He was buried at Bethel Methodist Church Cemetery in Callison, Greenwood County, South Carolina.

• Dorn, William Jennings Bryan, and Scott Derks. Dorn: Of the People, A Political Way of Life. Columbia and Orangeburg, S.C.: Bruccoli Clark Layman/Sandlapper Publishing, 1988