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LAKE LURE, N.C. (AP) -- The president of the South Carolina Club for Growth has died in a rock climbing accident in North Carolina.

Rutherford County deputies said 40-year-old William "Bill" McAfee, of Irmo, S.C., fell about 30 feet off a rock face Monday afternoon in a popular area for rock climbers near Lake Lure.

McAfee was announced as the new chairman of the SC Club for Growth in October. The group supports lower taxes and limited government and has actively taken on Republicans in South Carolina it feels aren't conservative enough.

McAfee was a graduate of The Citadel, a certified financial planner and president of WHM Capital Advisors. Club For Growth Executive Director Phillip Cease says McAfee was a great man who helped the group grow and will be missed.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)