Columbia, SC - During this year's annual awards ceremony on September 23, South Carolina's 117th Governor Henry D. McMaster received CoSA's Advocacy for Archives Award. 

McMaster was nominated by State Archivist W. Eric Emerson, who shared that McMaster "has been a steadfast supporter of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History for decades." McMaster is the first governor to be awarded this recognition in the more than 15 years since CoSA established its awards program. 

This award received media coverage in the South Carolina Daily Gazette, which quoted Governor McMaster's acceptance remarks. McMaster understands the importance of government archives: "Without a knowledge of history, without people preserving that history, then it’ll be lost. And if it’s lost, then we’re all lost."

"Our Awards Program is meant to promote leadership and advocacy, encouraging archivists and archival institutions to elevate their efforts," says CoSA Executive Director Joy Banks. "We are glad to celebrate models of this essential work across the United States."

The Advocacy for Archives recognition is one of CoSA's longest standing recognition. It honors an individual or organization that has made a substantial and sustained contribution to promoting, preserving, and ensuring the accessibility of government archives at the state, territorial, or local level. Those receiving recognition and the work they have done reflect CoSA's mission to not just preserve records but also ensure their ongoing visibility and value to the public.

Nominations are encouraged from all CoSA members; the next Awards Program cycle will open in early 2027. For more information: https://statearchivists.org/cosa-awards-program/. 

About CoSA

The Council of State Archivists (CoSA) is a nonprofit membership organization of the state and territorial government archives in the fifty states, five territories, and District of Columbia. Through collaborative research, education, and advocacy, CoSA provides leadership that strengthens and supports state and territorial archives in their work to preserve and provide access to government records. CoSA facilitates networking, information sharing, and project collaboration among its member organizations to help state and territorial government archives with their responsibilities for protecting the rights and historical documents of the American people. Learn more at statearchivists.org.