Hugh Weathers is an American politician from South Carolina. He serves as South Carolina's

Commissioner of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

. He has held the position since September 14, 2004. Weathers is a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

Early life and career

Weathers is from

Bowman, South Carolina Bowman is a town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 968 at the 2010 census, a decline from 1,198 in 2000. Geography Bowman is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total ar ...

, where he grew up on Weathers Farms, a dairy farm. He graduated from Bowman Academy as its valedictorian. He earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in accounting and finance from the University of South Carolina in 1980, and was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

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

Commissioner of Agriculture

Weathers was appointed by Governor

Mark Sanford Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019, and also as the ...

on September 14, 2004, to be the commissioner of agriculture after the incumbent commissioner, Charles Sharpe, had been accused of illegal

cockfighting A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

, lying to investigators, extortion, and money laundering. Weathers won the following election in 2006. 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. Weathers also advocated to increase the economic impact of the department to $50 billion by 2020. Weathers won reelection in the 2022 general election with 77.6% of the vote, defeating

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

candidate David Edmond. Weathers indicated that this will be his final term in office.

Personal life

Weathers is married with three children and is a fourth-generation farmer.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weathers, Hugh 1956 births Dairy farmers Living people People from Orangeburg, South Carolina South Carolina Republicans University of South Carolina alumni