Joseph Emile Harley (September 14, 1880February 27, 1942) was the 100th

governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

from 1941 to 1942 and a member of the "

Barnwell Ring The so-called "Barnwell Ring" was a grouping of influential Democratic South Carolina political leaders from Barnwell County. The group included state Senator Edgar A. Brown, state Representative Solomon Blatt, Sr., Governor Joseph Emile Harley, a ...

Early life and education

Harley was born September 14, 1880, in

Williston, South Carolina Williston is a town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,139 at the 2010 census. The town lies in the center of the Charleston-Hamburg railroad line, the line of the Best Friend locomotive. The train tracks we ...

. Harley received an

LLB Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...

from the University of South Carolina in 1902. He married Sarah Agnes Richardson and had three children with her.

Occupations

Harley served as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

South Carolina National Guard The South Carolina National Guard consists of the South Carolina Army National Guard and the South Carolina Air National Guardbr> American law specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard ...

and as

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

of Company L, 1st SC Volunteers in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. He also worked as a lawyer, where he fought on behalf of three major railway companies including: the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Southern Railway, as well as the Seaboard Airline Railroad. As a member of the

democratic party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Harley was a delegate at the 1908, 1924, 1928, and 1932 party conventions. Harley also served as the mayor of

Barnwell, South Carolina Barnwell is a city in and county seat of Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States, located along U.S. Route 278. The population was 4,750 at the 2010 census. Geography Barnwell is located east of the center of Barnwell County at (33.244 ...

for ten years from 1912-1922.

Governor

After being elected

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is the second-in-command to the governor of South Carolina. Beyond overseeing the Office on Aging and the responsibility to act or serve as governor in the event of the office's vacancy, the duties of th ...

in 1934 and re-elected in 1938, Harley became

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

on November 4, 1941, upon the resignation of Governor

Burnet Maybank Burnet Rhett Maybank (March 7, 1899September 1, 1954) was a three-term US senator, the 99th governor of South Carolina, and mayor of Charleston, South Carolina. He was the first governor from Charleston since the American Civil War (1861-1865) ...

, who was elected to serve in the

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. On February 27, 1942, Governor Harley died in office after having served only four months. He died of terminal throat

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. Harley could only communicate by writing in the last months of his life. He is buried in Baptist Cemetery, Barnwell, South Carolina.

References

1880 births 1942 deaths University of South Carolina alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Democratic Party governors of South Carolina University of South Carolina trustees Deaths from esophageal cancer People from Williston, South Carolina Deaths from cancer in South Carolina 20th-century American politicians People from Barnwell, South Carolina {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub