Dr. Anne J. Mace

Dr. Anne J. Mace is the mother of U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and the widow of Brig. Gen. J. Emory Mace, to whom she was married for 61 years. She is a retired public school teacher. She is a private citizen, is not a party to any of the litigation documented on this site, and is not accused of anything. This entry collects what the public record says about her: her own published words, official biographical sources, and what her daughter has said and written about her.

Background

The Post and Courier, in a May 2026 profile of Nancy Mace, described the family in one line: "Her mother, Anne, was a public school teacher." Nancy Mace's official House biography says she was "raised by a retired Army General and a retired school teacher."

Anne Mace holds a graduate degree from the same college her husband attended and her daughter later integrated. A Citadel Women's History Month profile of Nancy Mace says she "was born into a Citadel family, with her father, Brigadier General James E. Mace, having been the former Commandant of Cadets and most decorated living graduate of The Citadel, and her mother, Dr. Anne J. Mace, graduating with a MAT from the Citadel in 1972." (A MAT is a Master of Arts in Teaching, a degree The Citadel's graduate program awarded to women decades before women were admitted to the Corps of Cadets.)

A February 2026 Politico Magazine profile of Nancy Mace by Michael Kruse, for which Anne Mace was interviewed, gives her name as Anne Jamison Mace and describes her as "a teacher with a master's degree and a doctorate in education." It reported that she was then 83. She signs her name "Anne Mace, Ed.D." In 2018 she gave Goose Creek, South Carolina, as her home, and in 2019 her daughter wrote that "my parents still live in the home I grew up in."

Her daughter has described her as "a retired school teacher of 50 years" and "a retired public school teacher," and has said she also "taught at AHA," Addlestone Hebrew Academy in Charleston, "for a period of time when I was growing up" (see her daughter's posts below). The subject she taught, the public schools where she taught, and the university that awarded her doctorate do not appear in the public sources reviewed for this entry.

She and Emory Mace married in 1964. Their daughter marked their 56th anniversary on May 16, 2020, and wrote on May 17, 2026, a month after his death, that the day "would have" been their 62nd.

She and Emory Mace raised four children: Elizabeth Anne Mace McGrath, Mary Frances Mace, Nancy Ruth Mace, and Col. James Emory Mace Jr., MD. The family's obituary for Gen. Mace counted 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. One grandson, John Mace McGrath, chairs the Berkeley County Republican Party.

The Citadel years

Nancy Mace entered The Citadel in 1996 and in 1999 became the first woman to graduate from its Corps of Cadets. Her father became Commandant of Cadets in 1997. Politico reported that when Nancy Mace picked up an application in 1996, "she told her mother. Her mother told her to tell her father." Her memoir, In the Company of Men, is dedicated in part to her mother:

"To my mother for her strength, courage, and support to withstand all storms; and to my father who taught me that hard work and determination can overcome any challenge, but also for never letting me forget my sense of humor in the process."

The memoir places Anne Mace on the receiving end of some of the hostility. Nancy Mace writes that an anonymous woman sent her mother vicious and "vaguely threatening" unsigned letters for nearly three years, and that near graduation the writer "hinted that something might happen to me at graduation" (pp. 34, 228). She also writes that at a Parents' Weekend a well-dressed alumna grabbed her arm and abused her in front of her mother as "the bitch that ruined The Citadel" (p. 149).

In her own words: the 2018 letter

The one piece of published writing under Anne Mace's own name found for this entry is a letter to the editor of The Post and Courier, published March 15, 2018 under the headline "Nancy Mace's Citadel story." It answered a March 4, 2018 article about Shannon Faulkner, the first woman admitted to the Corps, who left within a week in 1995. The letter opens: "I write to set the record straight regarding the integration of women into the Corps of Cadets."

On how her daughter applied:

"Once the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Virginia Military Institute, The Citadel's Board of Visitors approved the inclusion of women for the class of 2000 (July, 1996). Nancy submitted her application that same week with no omissions of fact. There was no 'invitation.'"

On how the family's name became public:

"The admissions staff agreed to keep our daughter's name out of the press until her matriculation. Unfortunately, our anonymity ended when an ACLU lawyer deliberately released our personal information in open federal court. Our privacy was hijacked to achieve their ends, not ours."

On what the family went through after her husband became Commandant:

"Our family endured threats (delivered in person, by mail, telephone and email), personal insults, outright lies, and subtle misinformation. The level of hostility and acrimony was astonishing. Also frightening was the knowledge our Nancy was in the eye of the storm, the recipient of an even greater volume of vitriol than we lived with at home."

The letter is pointed about Faulkner, saying her "brief 'cadet' experience exemplifies failure" and that "unlike Faulkner's approach, failure was not an option" for Nancy. It closes: "The ends do not justify the means. Doing the right thing for the right reasons is not easy, but ultimately the best and only approach."

Two accounts of the family's view on women at The Citadel

In the letter, Anne Mace writes of her husband's position before coeducation:

"My husband, a 1963 graduate, believed since The Citadel received state funding, the day would come when women would be welcomed and thrive. We just did not know it would be in our lifetime or that one of our daughters would be part of that evolution."

Nine years earlier, Emory Mace had described the couple's view differently. "The wife and I were not pro-females going there," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2009 (see Emory Mace). Both statements are on the record. They are not strictly incompatible, since expecting a change is different from favoring it, and this entry does not resolve them.

The 2019 disclosure

On April 24, 2019, during a South Carolina House debate on an abortion bill, Nancy Mace said publicly for the first time that she had been raped as a teenager, and named her mother as one of two people who had known:

"For some of us who have been raped, it can take 25 years to get up the courage and talk about being a victim of rape. My mother and my best friend in high school were the only two people who knew."

The Post and Courier reported the same detail in its coverage that May. See the dispatch Mace's first public disclosure.

Anne Mace gave her own account to Politico in 2026. The profile reports that her daughter told her at the time and did not tell her father, and that her mother asked whether she wanted to report it. Politico quotes Anne Mace on what she told her daughter, passing on a saying of her own mother's:

"My mother had a saying: 'there's one side, the other side, and the truth is somewhere in between.' So I'm not saying that you're faultless, or that you're full of fault, it's just that it's a range, so you have to evaluate where you are, and what you want to do about it. And I'll stand behind you, stand with you, but I'm not going to force you."

And on why it was never reported:

"I believe her, full stop, what happened to her. But I was not going to force a 16-year-old to go through that brutal process of reporting it and have it come back on her. That's being raped all over again."

This account concerns the assault Nancy Mace says she suffered at 16, for which she has never named anyone. It is separate from the allegations in her February 2025 House floor speech, which the men she named deny and which are the subject of ongoing litigation.

The 2026 campaign for governor

Anne Mace took a visible part in her daughter's run for governor.

August 4, 2025, the announcement. Nancy Mace declared her candidacy at The Citadel. Politico reported: "Her mother, now 83 with Parkinson's but still sharp, was there. Her father, 85 and physically more and more frail, was not."

August 28, 2025, a fundraising email in her name. Nancy Mace for Governor sent supporters an email with the subject line "This is Anne, Nancy Mace's mom. I'm a retired teacher. I want to tell you a story." and the sender name "Anne Mace, Nancy's Mom." The text is preserved by the Archive of Political Emails. It tells the story of her daughter leaving high school:

"I can still see it like it was yesterday. At 17, Nancy dropped out of high school. Her friends attended graduation in their caps and gowns. But my daughter put on a Waffle House apron and headed to the graveyard shift. As a teacher, it broke my heart. As a mom, I feared she'd never recover."

It continues: "As a mother, it breaks my heart to hear the terrible things the media and the establishment say about her. But Nancy is my daughter. And I know this: She never backs down." It is signed "With respect, Anne Mace, Proud Mother of Nancy Mace." The email is campaign fundraising material, paid for by Nancy Mace for Governor, and is cited here as such. Campaign emails sent over a relative's signature are commonly drafted by campaign staff, and nothing in the public record says who wrote this one.

May 2026, at the campaign office. In the final weeks before the June primary, Nancy Mace posted about her mother volunteering. On May 11, 2026: "Mom is on her way back over to the campaign office. She's ready to address more envelopes for bumper stickers. DM us your address NOW to get YOURS. Mom says: 'Let's go!'" (post). On May 30, 2026 she posted a photograph:

Mom is at campaign HQ today, sending out bumper stickers. Get yours now before they run out.
Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) May 30, 2026

Those posts are also cataloged in the dispatch on Mace's "six weeks off" claim. For the campaign itself, see 2026 Governor Campaign.

Her husband's death

Emory Mace died at home on April 14, 2026, at 85. In the post announcing his death, Nancy Mace wrote that he was "surrounded by his two dogs, his wife, and two of his daughters, Nancy and Mary." The South Carolina House memorial resolution adopted the following week, H. 5552, and the family's obituary both name Dr. Anne J. Mace as his wife of 61 years.

Two months later, on June 9, 2026, Nancy Mace wrote on her official account: "My parents instilled in me my work ethic, my grit, and my moral compass. Everything I have accomplished, every stand I have taken, every line I have refused to cross, goes back to the way they raised me." (post)

In her daughter's posts

Nancy Mace's two X accounts carry roughly 60 posts about her mother between 2018 and 2026, all preserved in the site's X Archives. They are the fullest public record of Anne Mace, and nearly all of it is affectionate. A selection, in order:

March 4, 2018. Replying to a post about Shannon Faulkner, days before her mother's letter ran: "She doesn't wear The Ring bc she didn't earn it. And she sure as hell ain't my mother. That's an insult to my mother." (post)
March 15, 2018. "Lunch with mom at the Tea Room where she volunteers each year for charity." (post)
March 9, 2019. "Pleasantly surprised to see my mother show up to a healthcare panel I participated in Thursday evening." (post)
April 13, 2019. "Crab picking tonight! My parents still live in the home I grew up in. Love me some Goose Creek." (post)
August 24, 2020. Her parents appeared in her first general-election television ad for Congress: "It's called 'Lowcountry Values', featuring my mom and dad. How cute are they?!" On November 2, 2020, the day before the election, she posted the ad again: "My mom and dad are my role models. I grew up here and learned my Lowcountry values from them." (Aug. 24, Nov. 2)
January 19, 2021. After her first weeks in Congress, which included January 6: "My mom had this framed in her home for almost 24 years. She dropped it off yesterday. Seems pretty applicable to my first week in Congress, 'Hell Week' indeed." (post)
May 9, 2021. "My rock. I love you mom!" (post)
October 13, 2021. The one post that quotes Anne Mace's own words to her daughter, on proxy voting:

I got home at midnight last night, this is the text from my mom at 5am: "Long day for one vote. BUT I do not like proxy, prefer my Rep go and show!" This job is tough, but part of the job is actually showing up to vote. Just over 200 of of us did that yesterday. Love mom.
Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) October 13, 2021

December 21, 2021. "As my mother says, 'clean up on aisle 6.'" (post)
March 21, 2022. "I'm not gonna lie, I teared up when mom and dad visited our DC office last week. My parents sacrificed a lot to make sure I made it through some tough times. Those tough times made me believe in second chances, redemption, and grace." (post)
April 1, 2022. "We had a series of serious health emergencies w/ my parents this week. Felt like a stone cold punch to the gut." (post)
May 6, 2022. On Military Spouse Appreciation Day: "During my fathers time serving our nation, my mom was at home taking care of me, my sisters, and brother." (post)
March 20 and 25, 2023. After a gala for Addlestone Hebrew Academy in Charleston: "My mom taught at AHA for a period of time when I was growing up." Five days later, to a critic: "I do support teachers... My mom is a retired public school teacher." (Mar. 20, Mar. 25)
May 12, 2024. Mother's Day:

Mom and I at the North Charleston rally for Donald J. Trump earlier this year - love this woman to pieces - she's been there for me when no one else was - more times than I can count - Happy Mother's Day y'all!
Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) May 12, 2024

May 26, 2024. During her last congressional primary: "Every bumper sticker is mailed with love from Mom and Dad! They have a whole system down... Dad stuffs the envelops while Mom addresses them by hand." (post)
May 5, 2025. "This week, we celebrate teachers everywhere, including my Mom, who is a retired school teacher of 50 years." (post)
May 9, 2025. "She never wore a uniform, but she served right alongside my dad." (post)
April 21, 2026. A week after her father's death: "If you have a 'General Mace' story, please post it below. Mom likes to read the comments, some times every single one. (Yes, even after I've asked her not to.)" The same day: "Mom and I are on the way to my next debate in the race for Governor!" (post, post)
May 10, 2026. "This Mother's Day is the first my mom endures without her husband, my father, Brigadier General James Mace. Today, he celebrates her from heaven." (post)
May 17, 2026. "Tonight, mom and dad would have celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. I love you mom, and I love our dad." (post)
October 5, 2026. "Mom, my sister and I were out driving today, just the three of us, when one of the songs I played to calm my father down in his final moments came on. The three of us were holding on to him and praying over him as he passed away." (post)
October 11, 2026. A selfie of the two of them, her mother seated beside her:

Taking this girl to brunch!
Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) October 11, 2026

In her daughter's speeches and interviews

Nancy Mace's recorded references to her mother are few and brief. A review of the transcripts of all 34 archived episodes of her Get MACED web show (August 3 through October 2, 2026) found no mention of her own mother. The references on record come from a House floor speech and two interviews.

February 10, 2025, the House floor. Near the end of her roughly 53-minute floor speech, Mace addressed the gallery: "I want to thank my children who are watching tonight. I want to thank my family. My mom is here tonight. She's up here. I love you. Thank you." Sixteen months later, on June 3, 2026, Mace posted a photograph and wrote that her mother had made the trip for it:

On February 10, 2025, Mom traveled all the way to DC to sit in the House gallery, with the other survivors in my courageous floor speech. She's my been ROCK my entire life, and now it's my turn to be hers.
Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) June 3, 2026

The speech made allegations against four named men, all of whom deny them; no charges have been filed and civil litigation is ongoing. Nothing in the public record attributes any statement about those allegations to Anne Mace.

April 2025, on threats. In an interview with ABC News 4 (WCIV) after her filmed confrontation with a constituent at a Mount Pleasant Ulta store, Mace said of threats to her office: "My children have been threatened. My parents have been threatened. Siblings have been threatened. Employees have been threatened."

August 20, 2026, with Joe Pags. Asked about the reaction after photographs of her tattoos spread online, Mace said: "I don't like to look at stuff about me, especially if it's negative, but I sent a bunch of memes to my mom." Later in the same interview, on her sleep habits: "My mother told me I was, you know, up all night, you know, when I was in the womb. So it's just sort of stuck." (video)

August 30, 2026, with Tara Palmeri. Describing the day in 1996 that her parents left her at The Citadel, Mace said her father shook her hand and told her not to call home, and added: "It was awful. It was so terrible. My mom's in tears telling me how much she loves me. And my dad's like, see you." Later, on leaving Congress at the end of her term:

"As I see the end of my tenure coming up at the end of the year, my mom is older, we just lost my father, and she's ill. But being able to be by her side more are the things that I look forward to. Spending that time with family, because it's finite."

Nancy Mace on The Tara Palmeri Show*, August 30, 2026, cued to her remarks about her mother. The Citadel drop-off story is at about 2:40. (Source: YouTube.)*

Photographs

Photographs of Anne Mace that her daughter has posted publicly, newest first. Each is reproduced from the post named in its caption, with that post's own words; in posts with several pictures, the caption is the post's, not a description of each frame.

"Taking this girl to brunch!" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), October 11, 2026.

"My parents instilled in me my work ethic, my grit, and my moral compass. Everything I have accomplished, every stand I have taken, every line I have refused to cross, goes back to the way they raised me. I lost my dad two months ..." Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace), June 9, 2026.

"On February 10, 2025, Mom traveled all the way to DC to sit in the House gallery, with the other survivors in my courageous floor speech. She’s my been ROCK my entire life, and now it’s my turn to be hers." Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), June 4, 2026.

"My father, Brigadier General James Emory Mace, was a two-tour Vietnam veteran, a decorated combat leader, and a man who devoted his life to serving this country and South Carolina. My mother stood beside him through it all ..." Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), May 31, 2026.

"Mom is at campaign HQ today, sending out bumper stickers. Get yours now before they run out:" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), May 30, 2026.

"Growing up the daughter of a retired Army General and a retired schoolteacher, I learned early hard work is not optional. It is expected. My dad taught me service, structure, and a deep love for this country. My mom taught me ..." Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace), May 30, 2026.

"Happy Valentine's from my parents and I - sweet dinner with them last night - cherish every single moment. Love you mom and dad!" Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace), February 14, 2026.

"She never wore a uniform, but she served right alongside my dad. Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day to my mom and all the military spouses who keep the home front strong." Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), May 9, 2025.

"This week we celebrate teachers, and I get to celebrate one of the best to ever do it. Thanks, Mom, for teaching in the classroom and at home." Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), May 5, 2025.

"Mom and Dad went to vote today! Their support means the world to us! Check your early voting location here: #LowcountryFirst" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), May 29, 2024.

"Every bumper sticker is mailed with love from Mom and Dad! They have a whole system down... Dad stuffs the envelops while Mom addresses them by hand. Love them to pieces! Add to their list at" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), May 26, 2024.

"Mom and I at the North Charleston rally for Donald J. Trump earlier this year - love this woman to pieces - she's been there for me when no one else was - more times than I can count - Happy Mother's Day y'all!" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), May 12, 2024.

"Mom was totally surprised! So many tears of joy here. What a great day with family!! #BirthdaySurprises" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), September 4, 2022. Still from the video in the post.

"Today is #MilitarySpouseAppreciationDay. During my fathers time serving our nation, my mom was at home taking care of me, my sisters, and brother. I am beyond thankful for the sacrifices our military spouses make. Mom, thank you." Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace), May 6, 2022.

"I’m not gonna lie, I teared up when mom and dad visited our DC office last week. My parents sacrificed a lot to make sure I made it through some tough times. Those tough times made me believe in second chances, redemption, and ..." Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace), March 21, 2022.

"My rock. I love you mom! #happymothersday" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), May 9, 2021.

"Crab picking tonight! My parents still live in the home I grew up in. Love me some Goose Creek. Saw some gators tonight too." Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), April 13, 2019.

"Pleasantly surprised to see my mother show up to a healthcare panel I participated in Thursday evening with @petermccoyforsc, @SennSandy and @senatortomdavis on behalf of the @ChasMedSociety @ChasenBullock" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), March 9, 2019.

"A little Fat Hen with mom and dad tonight. #johnsisland #charleston #fathen" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), February 2, 2019.

"Lunch with mom at the Tea Room where she volunteers each year for charity. Ran into a few familiar faces too - thx for taking this photo @wesleydonehue" Nancy Mace (@NancyMace), March 15, 2018.

Sources

The Tara Palmeri Show, "Mace on Being Mace" (August 30, 2026)
ABC News 4, "RAW: Rep. Nancy Mace talks viral 'Daisy Dukes' confrontation, town halls and more in full interview" (April 2025)
Joe Pags, "Nancy Mace Tattoo Backlash: 'I Don't Care What They Think Anymore'" (August 20, 2026)
The Post and Courier, "Letter: Nancy Mace's Citadel story," by Anne Mace, Ed.D. (March 15, 2018)
Politico Magazine, "'I Don't Know That I'll Ever Be OK With Myself'" by Michael Kruse (February 27, 2026)
The Citadel, Women's History Month 2014, Featured Women: Nancy Mace
The Post and Courier, profile of Nancy Mace in the 2026 governor's race (May 3, 2026)
U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Nancy Mace, "About"
Archive of Political Emails, "This is Anne, Nancy Mace's mom. I'm a retired teacher. I want to tell you a story." (Nancy Mace for Governor, August 28, 2025)
The Post and Courier, "It took SC Rep. Nancy Mace 25 years to share she was raped" (May 2019)
South Carolina House Resolution H. 5552, memorial resolution for Brig. Gen. J. Emory Mace (April 2026)
J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Home, obituary of BG J. Emory Mace, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Maceopedia X Archives, the searchable record of both of Nancy Mace's X accounts, from which the posts quoted above are drawn
Nancy Mace on X: May 11, 2026, May 30, 2026, June 9, 2026 (@RepNancyMace)
Nancy Mace with Mary Jane Ross, In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel (Simon & Schuster, 2001), dedication and pp. 34, 149, 228