An insider's guide to the government of the Palmetto State Former South Carolina state senator Vincent Sheheen provides an engaging and accessible overview of the history and structures of the state's government with the insight that only someone who has walked the corridors of the State House in Columbia can provide. Throughout, profiles of key figures such as Solomon Blatt (the first Jewish speaker of the house) and Jean Hoefer Toal (the first woman to serve on the SC Supreme Court and as chief justice) animate the text. For elected officials, government professionals, teachers, students, and political junkies, The Concise Guide to South Carolina State Government is the essential nonpartisan place to learn why the Palmetto State works the way it does. "Sheheen's fine book explores the complexities and historical circumstances behind the unique characteristics of our state government."―Jim Hodges, governor of South Carolina, 1999 –2003 "You will be a better citizen after reading this book!"―Molly Mitchell Spearman, former SC legislator and the 18th SC Superintendent of Education "There is no better guide to the procedures, culture, and history of the political center of the Palmetto State."―Bakari Sellers, attorney and former member of the SC House "A must-read book for understanding how South Carolina government works―and works for the citizens of this great state."―Murrell Smith, Speaker of the SC House "A student of state history and politics, Senator Sheheen chronicles the good, the bad, the sublime, and the ridiculous across our state institutions. Drawing on his firsthand expertise, he adds insights distinctly missing (or conspicuously omitted) from earlier writing on this subject."―Dr. Luther F. Carter, president, Francis Marion University Vincent Sheheen is mayor of Camden, SC; an attorney; and a former state senator. He cohosts the podcast Bourbon in the Back Room.