Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
In 1972, one of the heaviest travelled corridors in West Ashley, Highway 7 between US 17 and the North Bridge, was named Sam Rittenberg Boulevard. The bill, passed unanimously by the South Carolina House and Senate, was crafted “as a Memorial to this dedicated Public Servant.” Born in Lithuania in 1867, Rittenberg immigrated to America in 1881 and became a U.S citizen in Erie County, New York. By 1892, he had moved to Charleston and was working in real estate, insurance, and advertising. Elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1912, he served two years, then didn’t run again until 1924, when he won the first of four consecutive terms, ending up as chairman of the Charleston County Legislative Delegation and vice-chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. He co-authored the bill establishing the Charleston County Library, and through the Rittenberg School Act, set the standards for education in the county for decades. Very much ahead of his time, he worked to abolish capital punishment, introduced legislation to teach the public “kindness and justice to, and humane treatment and protection of birds and animals,” and championed bills to protect our shores.
A leader in the Jewish community as well, Rittenberg died in 1932. In 1982, ten years after the road was renamed, a stone memorial on the highway was dedicated in his honor, with descendants and members of the public in attendance.
Sam Rittenberg Boulevard Memorial, 2020
Northbridge Park. Photo by Alyssa Neely
Sam Rittenberg (1867–1932)
Advertisement, Sam Rittenberg Real Estate and Insurance Agency
On the cover of the 1923 Charleston city directory.
Program for unveiling of marker dedicated to Sam Rittenberg, 1982
Program for unveiling of marker dedicated to Sam Rittenberg, 1982
