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]

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 (age 79)
Columbia, South Carolina
Political partyRepublican
SpouseElizabeth Exum

Early life and education

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

Career

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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

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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

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

References

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  1. ^ "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography".
  2. ^ a b "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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Party political offices
Preceded by
Dell Baker
Republican nominee for South Carolina Comptroller General
1998
Succeeded by