Lee Atwater known for dirty tricks in politics

Republican political operative Lee Atwater was known for his dirty tricks.

The S.C. native helped George H. W. Bush get elected in 1988. At the time, he issued an attack against Democratic nominee Michael S. Dukakis using the Pledge of Allegiance and the Massachusetts prison furlough of Willie Horton, a black murderer later convicted of rape.

Atwater was elected chairman of the Republican Party in 1989. He later was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in 1991 at age 40. Before he died, Atwater said he had become a born-again Christian. Friends said at his funeral that his spiritual conversion and his desire to make peace with his political enemies was the highlight of his life.

“I fooled myself into thinking I was indestructible,” Atwater said in an interview with The State, the last one he granted. “You’re seeing a guy who just stared right into the abyss. Things I didn’t think about too much are now important, and that’s human relationships and the love of a lot of people and how valuable they are. Forget money and power ... I had no idea how wonderful people are. I wish I had known this before. What a way to have to find out ... This whole experience has taught me something new about love, family and mankind in general.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Lee Atwater known for dirty tricks in politics."