(AP) -- South Carolina textile magnate Roger Milliken, who built his family business into an industry giant and helped turn the state's Republican Party into a powerhouse, has died.
Company spokesman Richard Dillard said Milliken died Thursday in Spartanburg surrounded by family. A cause of death was not immediately available. He was 95.
Milliken became president of Spartanburg-based Milliken & Co., in 1947 when his father died. He served as president until 1983, when he became chairman and chief executive.
Milliken was ranked 338th in the country in 2000 on the Forbes magazine list of the 400 richest Americans, with an estimated worth of $850 million. He fell off the list by the end of the decade as the American textile industry declined.
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