City recognizes Captain William F. Graham, The Citadel’s first superintendent

NEWBERRY — Just before what would have been the 206th birthday of Captain William F. Graham, members of the community, Citadel alumni and state representatives gathered in Rosemont Cemetery to dedicate a plaque in Graham’s memory as The Citadel’s first superintendent.

Graham was born in Newberry on June 15, 1818 and served as The Citadel’s first superintendent for about a year before dying of tuberculosis at the age of 25.

In June of last year, Mayor Foster Senn was searching Twitter, now known as X, for any news that mentioned Newberry in a notable way. He came across a post from The Citadel Alumni Association mentioning Graham serving as the first superintendent and that he was born in Newberry.

“Although I’m a native of Newberry, I had never heard of this. I did a Google search and learned that, yes, Captain Graham was born in Newberry, attended West Point, was the first superintendent of The Citadel, died of tuberculosis and was buried in Newberry,” Senn said. “I approached a local historian and asked him if he knew this and he said he learned in recent years that Captain Graham’s grave was here at Rosemont Cemetery and offered to show me his marker. We visited here last summer, and he showed me this grave, which I was most proud to see.”

Senn said they noticed something about Graham’s grave. It was dirty, difficult to read and was partially covered by a tree that was overgrown and had vines. After speaking with several local Citadel alumni, Foster and the group visited the cemetery and were in agreement that Graham’s marker needed more attention, both physically and in recognition.

Not only was Graham’s marker cleaned, but his sibling’s markers were, too. The tree was cut back and the vines were removed by a local business.

“Captain Graham’s father, Major James Graham, was a sergeant in the War of 1812. He also represented Newberry as state representative at the State House for two terms. He and Captain Graham’s mother Mary are buried at a church near the Laurens County line and their children are buried here (Rosemont Cemetery),” Senn said. “We are proud of the connection to Newberry and The Citadel. It is something we will highlight in our history. We also salute The Citadel and all it means to the state and our country.”

General Glenn M. Walter, Citadel Class of ‘79, USMC Retired and 20th President of The Citadel, said preserving the past and honor those who’ve made positive marks in the community and higher education is important.

“We don’t know much about his time at the college. In fact, in the hall outside of my office are portraits of all the past presidents hang, we don’t have a picture – only have a brief description of Captain Graham. Described as strict disciplinarian, fair and amicable – cadets had a great deal of respect for him and honored Captain Graham, escorting his casket to Newberry. Pretty impressive for a 25-year-old who led them for just about a year,” Walters said.

Jokingly, Walters said he doubted recent cadets will spend time looking for his or any recent presidents gravesites.

“I like to picture Captain Graham as one of the bedrocks, underpinning the values we hold at The Citadel today – 180 years after his passing, honor, duty and respect are at the core of our duty. Captain Graham was an outstanding cadet at West Point and set the tone for The Citadel and presidents to come. I am pleased to carry on his legacy. I hope this grave serves as a touchstone not only for citizens, cadets and alumni, but anyone who strives to serve their community to influence the next generation of leaders,” he said.

Reach Kelly Duncan at 803-276-3122 ext. 1867 or at kduncan@championcarolinas.com.