John Courson

John E. Courson
John E. Courson
President pro tempore of the South Carolina Senate
	In office; March 13, 2012 – June 4, 2014
Preceded by	Glenn F. McConnell
Succeeded by	Yancey McGill
Member of the South Carolina Senate; from the 20th district
	In office; December 15, 1985 – June 4, 2018
Succeeded by	Dick Harpootlian
Personal details
Born	November 21, 1944 (age 80); Columbia, South Carolina
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Elizabeth 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

^ "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography".
^ ^a ^b "Richland Sen. John Courson Enters Guilty Plea, Resigns from Office". WLTX. June 4, 2018.
^ Strope, Leigh (1998-11-05). "Candidates edgy waiting on tally". The Charlotte Observer. p. 68. Retrieved 2022-07-01 – via newspapers.com.
^ Smith, G. N. (March 13, 2012). "Columbia senator is Senate's new top dog". The State. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23.
^ "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.
^ Monk, John (March 16, 2017). "SC state Sen. Courson indicted on misconduct allegations, vows to fight the charges". The State. Retrieved 2023-05-03.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by Dell Baker	Republican nominee for South Carolina Comptroller General 1998	Succeeded by Richard Eckstrom

Appearances on C-SPAN
Project Vote Smart - Senator John E. Courson (SC) ^{[permanent dead link‍]} profile
Follow the Money - John E. Courson
- 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 1996 campaign contributions
Gaither, Tanita; Holland, Ashleigh (2018-06-04). "Suspended SC Sen. Courson enters guilty plea, resigns from office". www.wistv.com. Retrieved 2023-09-10.

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[1] "South Carolina Legislature Online - Member Biography".

[:0-2] "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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