Columbia, SC (WLTX) - South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster was sworn in for his first full term as governor Wedensday, nearly two years after assuming the power and duties of the office.
A day of pomp and ceremony is underway across Columbia for the 97th South Carolina Inauguration, as McMaster and the state's other constitutional officers take their oaths of office.
Here's a look at the key events:
9 a.m. - Inaugural Prayer Service - It all began with a prayer service at First Presbyterian Church on Marion Street at 9 a.m. The event was open to the public.
11 a.m. - Swearing-in ceremony - Henry McMaster and the other constitutional officers took the oath of office on the south steps of the State House with several former governors, including Nikki Haley, are expected to attend.
2-4 p.m. - McMaster Family Open house - The governor's mansion will be opened to the public. That's located at 800 Richland Street in Columbia.
7:30 - 11 p.m. - Inaugural Ball - McMaster and other political leaders will hold a party at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. (This event is not open to the public)
McMaster, a longtime fixture in Republican politics, became governor in January of 2017 when then Governor Haley resigned to become U.N. Ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump Administration.
But because he wasn't elected, there wasn't a big inaugural. In November, however, he defeated Democratic rival James Smith to earn his first election victory for the state's highest office, and by tradition, the inaugural ceremony that comes with it.
Something new this year: McMaster will become the first joint governor/lieutenant governor to take the oath of office together. Pamela Evette, his running mate in November, was part of a combined ticket. Previously, governors and lieutenant governors were elected separately.
Wednesday will be another milestone in a long career in state politics and public service. After graduating from law school, McMaster first worked as a legislative assistant to former U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond. He'd go on to practice law, arguing cases at the federal level.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan named him the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina. He left the job in 1985 after a four-year term.
He then entered politics, winning the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1986. He ultimately lost the general election to the incumbent at the time, Ernest Hollings. He also was the lieutenant governor nominee in 1990, but lost in the general election again.
After that setback, he was appointed by Gov. Carroll Campbell to be on the state commission for higher education.
In 1993, McMaster became chair of the South Carolina Republican Party, serving for nine years. During his tenure, the GOP won both chambers of the General Assembly for the first time since Reconstruction, as the formerly solidly Democratic state transitioned into a solidly Republican one.
In 2002, McMaster won the race for attorney general, a position he went on to hold for two terms. In 2010, he ran for the GOP nomination for governor, but didn't advance to the runoff. Oddly enough, he then threw his support behind one of the two remaining candidates: Nikki Haley.
In 2014, he was elected lieutenant governor.
During the 2016 GOP primary in February, McMaster made headlines when he became the first statewide official to endorse Donald Trump's candidacy.