T. Ed Garrison, Jr., was born in 1922, son of Thomas Edmond and Nettie McPhail Garrison. A graduate of Boys High in Anderson, he went on to earn a degree
in Vocational Agriculture from Clemson University in 1942. Directly following his graduation, Garrison entered the Army to serve in World War II. He soon transferred to the Army Air Force where he was stationed in the South Pacific, flying 65 missions with the 69th Medium Bombardment Squadron of the 13th Air Force. Garrison’s military honors include the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters for meritorious achievement in aerial flight. His service is commemorated in the Veteran’s Hall at the Anderson County Museum.

After the war, Garrison returned to the family farm where the business both expanded and modernized under his direction. He married Juanita Bartlett in
1955 and the two raised their family on the farm together. They grew the operation from 275 acres of row crops into a 200-head dairy herd, poultry houses, and additional crops on nearly 1000 acres. Garrison embraced the transition from mule drawn equipment to the use of tractors and combines while diversifying, innovating, and positioning himself as an agribusiness leader in the region.

In 1958, T. Ed Garrison, Jr., was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives serving for eight years. He went on to serve in the State Senate from 1967-1988. As a legislator, Garrison chaired the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee where he sponsored legislation on soil and water conservation, agricultural advancement, historic preservation, and tourism. Garrison joined the Council of State Governments and served as chairman of the Southeastern Region Agricultural and Rural Development Committee. His environmental initiatives expanded as a member of the Interstate Mining Compact to regulate and improve the mining industry. Garrison volunteered in the Soil & Water Conservation Service, lobbied for Christmas tree grower tax revisions, forestry incentive programs, and uniform grain grading. Rising to sixth in seniority in the South Carolina Senate, he sponsored legislation addressing a wide range of statewide issues from traffic safety to counselors in elementary school.
 

The Garrison farmstead came to be called Denver Downs in the 1970s and is still operating today. During his career, it became the site of agricultural meetings, workshops, equipment demonstrations, and crop test plots. The farm implemented many of Ed’s conservation initiatives, being the first in the county to employ the no-till planting method, incorporating strip cropping, and contour farming. Denver Downs was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Garrison received The Order of the Palmetto and the Clemson Distinguished Service Alumni Award. He played a leading role in legislation establishing the Anderson County Fire Commission, Pendleton District Commission, and brought the state’s multipurpose livestock arena to Anderson County. In 1991, it was
named the T. Ed. Garrison Livestock Arena in his honor. Ed was proud of helping establish the Technical College system and provided significant financial support for upkeep of the original Welcome Baptist Church building, restoration of the Pickens Room at Woodburn Plantation, and the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum. Upon his passing in 2013, Garrison was buried at the Old Welcome Baptist Church Cemetery.