COLUMBIA, SC– Today, Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06) celebrated the naming of the Orangeburg post office in honor of J.I. Washington. The U.S. Post Office located at 1550 Middleton Street will now be designated as the “J.I. Washington Post Office.”
“J.I. was a pillar in Orangeburg and highly influential throughout South Carolina,” said Congressman James Clyburn. “His name on this post office will be a constant reminder that everyone has a role to play to make their community a better place. Despite having never stood for elective office, he accomplished more than many elected officials and had a significant impact on the community and the state.”
J. I. Washington grew up on the campus of South Carolina State College. His elementary education began at the Claflin Elementary Department and Felton Laboratory School of South Carolina State. He completed high school at Mather Academy in Camden. J.I. graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and the Academy of Mortuary Science in New York City. Throughout his life he served as a member of the Santee Cooper Board of Directors, the S.C. State College Board of Trustees, the Orangeburg Civic Breakfast Club, the NAACP, the Urban Area Planning Commission, the Lower Regional Manpower Commission, and he served as the first African American on the Orangeburg Board of Voter Registration.
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