Hugh Weathers

Hugh Weathers is an American politician from South Carolina. He serves as South Carolina's Commissioner of Agriculture. He has held the position since September 14, 2004. Weathers is a member of the Republican Party.

Hugh Weathers
Agriculture Commissioner of South Carolina
Assumed office
September 14, 2004
GovernorMark Sanford
Nikki Haley
Henry McMaster
Preceded byCharles Sharpe
Personal details
Born (1956-06-27) June 27, 1956
Bowman, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseBlanche Weathers
Children3
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BS)

Early life and career

Weathers is from Bowman, South Carolina, where he grew up on Weathers Farms, a 2,000-acre (810 ha) dairy farm.[1] He graduated from Bowman Academy as its valedictorian.[2] He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from the University of South Carolina in 1980, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[3]

Weathers joined the family dairy business in 1980.[3] He and his brother, Landry, inherited the farm.[4]

Commissioner of Agriculture
Governor Nikki Haley and Hugh Weathers (right)

Weathers was appointed by Governor Mark Sanford on September 14, 2004, to be the commissioner of agriculture after the incumbent commissioner, Charles Sharpe, had been accused of illegal cockfighting, lying to investigators, extortion, and money laundering.[5][6] Weathers won the following election in 2006.[7][lower-alpha 1][8]

As commissioner of agriculture, Weathers sought to expand consumers' access and reliance on local produce. In 2006, Weathers oversaw the creation of the branding "Certified SC Grown" to highlight produce grown in South Carolina.[9] Weathers also advocated to increase the economic impact of the department to $50 billion by 2020.[10]

Weathers won reelection in the 2022 general election with 77.6% of the vote, defeating Green Party candidate David Edmond.[11] Weathers indicated that this will be his final term in office.[12]

South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 2022[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Hugh Weathers (incumbent) 1,085,139 77.6%
Green David Edmond 213,219 15.3%
United Citizens Chris Nelums 95,625 6.8%
Total votes 1,398,392 100%

Personal life

Weathers is married with three children and is a fourth-generation farmer.[10][7]

Notes
  1. Weathers was never "interim" commissioner as some sources describe. SECTION 46-3-40 declares that any person the governor appoints to the vacant office is the next commissioner of agriculture.

References
  1. "The State 06 Jun 1983, page 20". Newspapers.com. June 6, 1983. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  2. "The Times and Democrat 06 Jun 1974, page 11". Newspapers.com. June 6, 1974. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  3. "The Times and Democrat 25 Dec 1988, page 43". Newspapers.com. December 25, 1988. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  4. "The Times and Democrat 23 Apr 2012, page 12". Newspapers.com. April 23, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  5. "Ex-lawmaker finds life after prison - Post and Courier". www.postandcourier.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  6. "Charles Sharpe, former Agriculture Commissioner, reports to prison".
  7. "Hugh Weathers' Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  8. "Title 46 - Agriculture CHAPTER 3 Department and Commissioner of Agriculture SECTION 46-3-40. Election; term; vacancies".
  9. Loria, Keith. "South Carolina Certified Grown means big business for growers". The Produce News. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  10. "Meet the Commissioner". agriculture.sc.gov. South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  11. "2022 Statewide General Election Election Night Reporting". scvotes.org. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  12. "Agriculture Commissioner Seeking Final Term in Office". USN. Associated Press. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
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