Today, South Carolina has laid to rest one of its most devoted sons in Lindsey Graham. I joined his dear sister Darline and fellow South Carolinians in Columbia to mourn his passing and to honor his memory. The grief felt across the Palmetto State reveals the gratitude of a people who know how completely Lindsey had given himself to them over a lifetime of service. His was a distinctly American ascent from Central, South Carolina to the pinnacle of the United States Senate. Along the way, the arc of Lindsey’s life stirred the pride of every South Carolinian who saw in him one of our own. It reminded us that in America, the circumstances of one’s upbringing are never binding. And that the highest places remain well within reach of those born far from power and privilege. Beneath the force of Lindsey’s convictions as an iconic American statesman was a man of uncommon warmth and generosity of spirit. It was one of the great privileges of my life to call him my friend. May God surround the Graham family with comfort as they draw strength from a grateful state. And may Lindsey’s memory be the blessing his life was.