A native of Hartsville, Saleeby was elected to the S.C. House in 1950 and served there from 1951 to 1959. In 1972 he opposed and defeated powerful incumbent South Carolina state senator "Spot" Mozingo, a legendary figure in South Carolina politics, in a fiercely competed Democratic primary contest and served in the Senate from 1972 until his death. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment during a distinguished career was his role in reforming South Carolina's automobile insurance industry.