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President Bush Announces Gov. Mark Sanford’s Appointment to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President George W. Bush is appointing Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) as the agency’s representative for the nation’s governors.

Sanford will replace Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, whose term of office as governor and as governor’s representative on the ACHP expired January 12, 2009. According to the White House announcement on December 24, 2008, Sanford will serve on the ACHP until June 10, 2009.

“South Carolina has a rich and varied history, and awareness of that history contributes uniquely to the quality of life we enjoy as a state,” Sanford said. “The same is certainly true in a whole host of other corners of America, and to that end we’re certainly appreciative of this appointment, and look forward to contributing to this larger notion of historical preservation.”

More land has been preserved under Sanford’s tenure than during any other governorship in South Carolina. Some key tracts preserved under his governorship include the following:

• Hamilton Ridge: 13,281 acres in Hampton County
• Woodbury: 25,668 acres in Marion County
• Bonneau Ferry: 10,712 acres in Berkeley County
• Belfast: 2,228 acres in Laurens and Newberry counties
• Wee Tee: 12,441 acres in Williamsburg County

Before being elected governor in 2002, Sanford served six years in the U.S. Congress and had no prior political experience before being elected to Congress in 1994. He grew up on a family farm near Beaufort, S.C. His farming background helped make him acutely aware of the need to protect the nation’s natural heritage. He has a B.A. in business from Furman University in Greenville and later received an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and went on to work in real estate finance and investment in New York and Charleston, S.C.

“We look forward to Gov. Sanford’s expertise and counsel on issues important to the federal government’s historic preservation efforts during the coming months,” said John L. Nau, III, ACHP chairman.

About the ACHP: An independent federal agency, the ACHP promotes the preservation, enhancement, and productive use of our nation’s historic resources, and advises the President and Congress on national historic preservation policy. It also provides a forum for influencing federal activities, programs, and policies that affect historic properties. In addition, the ACHP has a key role in carrying out the Administration’s Preserve America initiative. For more information, please visit www.achp.gov.

Posted January 14, 2009

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