John E. Courson
President pro tempore of the South Carolina Senate[1]
In office
March 13, 2012  June 4, 2014
Preceded byGlenn F. McConnell
Succeeded byYancey McGill
Member of the South Carolina Senate
from the 20th district
In office
December 15, 1985  June 4, 2018
Succeeded byDick Harpootlian
Personal details
Born (1944-11-21) November 21, 1944
Columbia, South Carolina
Political partyRepublican
SpouseElizabeth Exum

John E. Courson (born November 21, 1944) is a former American politician. He served as a Republican member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 20th District from 1985 to 2018. He resigned after pleading guilty to a common law misconduct charge in office.[2]

Early life and education

John Courson was born on November 21, 1944, and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1968.

Career

He has served as a Republican state senator for South Carolina from 1985 to 2018. In 1998, he ran for Comptroller General of South Carolina, but lost to Jim Lander.[3]

He was elected President Pro Tempore of the South Carolina Senate on March 13, 2012,[4] but resigned this office on June 4, 2014, to avoid becoming Lieutenant Governor, a weak position that needed to be filled for six months before a new Lieutenant Governor was elected in 2014.[5]

Resignation

In March 2017, during the South Carolina Statehouse corruption investigation, Courson was indicted on ethics charges for mishandling campaign funds and subsequently suspended from office.[6] He resigned June 4, 2018, after pleading guilty to such charges.[2]

Personal life

He is married to Elizabeth Poinsett Exum, and they have three children: James Poinsett, Elizabeth Boykin, and Harris Russell. He is Episcopalian.

References

  1. "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography".
  2. 1 2 "Richland Sen. John Courson Enters Guilty Plea, Resigns from Office". WLTX. June 4, 2018.
  3. Strope, Leigh (1998-11-05). "Candidates edgy waiting on tally". The Charlotte Observer. p. 68. Retrieved 2022-07-01 via newspapers.com.
  4. Smith, G. N. (March 13, 2012). "Columbia senator is Senate's new top dog". The State. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23.
  5. "COLUMBIA, SC: Courson resigns SC Senate leadership post in spat with Lt. Gov. McConnell (Update) | the Buzz | the State". Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  6. Monk, John (March 16, 2017). "SC state Sen. Courson indicted on misconduct allegations, vows to fight the charges". The State. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
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