The James F. Byrnes Memorial Freeway was named by the General Assembly in honor of James F. Byrnes, called the most distinguished South Carolinian of the 20th century, who served as Solicitor, U. S. Congressman, U. S. Senator, Associate Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court, Assistant President to Franklin Roosevelt, Secretary of State of the United States, and Governor of his beloved state. It was dedicated in 1980 as part of the Byrnes Centennial Observance.