Alexander S. Salley, Jr.
Class of 1892
Hometown: Orangeburg, SC
- First Secretary of the SC Historical Commission in 1905. Salley presided over the SC Department of Archives and History until 1949.
- Although admitted to practice law in SC in 1899, Salley devoted his life to preserving South Carolina's history, and earned national acclaim as a pioneer in the effort to preserve historical records and documents.
- State Historian of South Carolina 1945-1949. State Historian Emeritus of South Carolina 1949-1961.
- In 1910, Salley made the historic decision to change the design of the SC State flag to its appearance today. When the SC General Assembly authorized an official flag design in January of 1865, it did not specify orientation of the crescent in relation to the palmetto tree on the flag. Salley determined the crescent should face outward at an angle instead of upward as it had since 1865.