Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include a quote from Tim Tate, pastor of Corinth Baptist Church in Seneca.
U.S. Senator and Southern Baptist Lindsey Graham died suddenly late Saturday, July 11, at his home in Seneca, S.C, according to a statement released by his office. He was 71.
Graham’s death prompted immediate tributes from church leaders and elected officials across South Carolina, many of whom emphasized his lifelong commitment to the Southern Baptist faith and his membership at Corinth Baptist Church in Seneca.
Tim Tate, pastor of Corinth Baptist, told Fox Carolina that “one thing that stands really out to me is his love for America.” He added, “The last conversation I had with him just a couple weeks ago ended in prayer, as I always ended our conversations with prayer. We just prayed for wisdom and knowledge and discernment.”
A deacon at the church said Graham remained active in congregational life despite his demanding schedule, commenting that he sometimes would be seen at funerals, fundraisers, and other events held at the church.
Life and Legacy
Graham attended the University of South Carolina, where he obtained a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the university’s law school in 1981. He served in the JAG Corps of the U.S. Air Force before working as a lawyer in his home state.
He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, quickly becoming one of the chamber’s most recognizable voices on national security, judicial nominations, and bipartisan negotiations. Graham’s career spanned more than two decades in the Senate, yet he often told reporters that his identity was shaped less by the Beltway of Washington, D.C., rather by the small-town Baptist community that raised him.
In a 2019 interview with the Greenville News, Graham said, “Corinth Baptist Church gave me stability when my world fell apart,” referring to the deaths of both parents during his college years. “My faith is not a political accessory. It’s the reason I’m still standing.”
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said following Graham’s death that he “leaves a void in our state and in the nation,” adding, “his faith was not incidental—it was foundational.”
Reaction: Domestic and International
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Graham was “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.” The President added, “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
Fellow South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, also a Southern Baptist, said Graham “lived out his faith with courage and compassion,” adding that “his church family at Corinth Baptist meant the world to him.”
The Jerusalem Post wrote, “In Israel we know maybe five American senators by name. Graham was one of them, and for a reason. He came here in wartime, repeatedly, when the airport was half empty. He went to Beirut to tell the Lebanese to their faces to disarm Hezbollah. He said things about our enemies that our own officials only say off the record.
“Graham gave his whole life to public work. A boy from a pool hall in central South Carolina, orphaned in his 20s, raising his 13-year-old sister alone. He never married. His family was his sister, his state, and… (his) country too.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X (Twitter) that “Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world.”
Dozens of church members gathered for prayer at his home church in Seneca shortly after the news of Graham’s death was made public.
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