John Light Napier
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John Light Napier (born May 16, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, former member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, and
judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
from
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
.


Education

John Light Napier attended public schools in
Marlboro County, South Carolina Marlboro County is a county located in the Pee Dee region on the northern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 26,667. Its county seat is Bennettsville. The Great Pee Dee River runs through it. M ...
, before college. He graduated from
Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan†...
in 1969 and earned a J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1972, while serving as a
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
in the
United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...
(which he served in until 1977).


Early career

Napier was admitted to the bar in 1972, and also began to serve as legislative assistant to
United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Prior to his 48 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South Caro ...
, while serving as minority counsel on both the Subcommittee on Administrative Practices and Procedures and the Committee on Veterans Affairs. In 1976, he was made Senator Thurmond's chief legal assistant and legal counsel. In 1977, he was named Chief Republican Counsel to the Senate Special Committee on Official Conduct which was charged with writing  the initial Code of Ethics and Financial Disclosure for the US Senate. In 1978, Napier returned to the private practice of law in
Bennettsville, South Carolina Bennettsville is a city located in the U.S. state of South Carolina on the Great Pee Dee River. As the county seat of Marlboro County, Bennettsville is noted for its historic homes and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries—including ...
, which he maintained until 1980.


House of Representatives

In 1980, Napier was elected to the
97th United States Congress The 97th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1981 ...
as a Representative from
South Carolina's 6th congressional district The 6th congressional district of South Carolina is in central and eastern South Carolina. It includes all of Allendale, Bamberg, Clarendon, Colleton, Hampton, Jasper and Williamsburg counties and parts of Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Cha ...
. He served in this capacity until 1983, having lost his bid for reelection in 1982 to Democrat
Robin Tallon Robert Mooneyhan "Robin" Tallon Jr. (born August 8, 1946) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States representative from South Carolina. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life and education Born in He ...
. He was named a Deputy Whip and served on the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committees. Working in tandem with his Congressional neighbor, Congressman Charlie Rose (Democrat, North Carolina), he was widely credited with coalition building and crafting the bipartisan legislation for the tobacco stabilization program vital to the agricultural community of the southeast.


U.S. Court of Federal Claims

Napier was nominated by President Reagan to the
United States Court of Federal Claims The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, ...
in 1986. He was unanimously confirmed by the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. In this assignment he sat on a 16 member national trial court hearing government contracts, patents. takings, tax refunds, Indian claims, congressional references, and other complex litigation involving actions against the federal government.  At the request of the Chief Judge and his colleagues, he chaired a special committee of the judges which led to a restructuring  the Clerk's office and the Financial office at the Court. He resigned his commission to join a Washington law firm.


Later career

Following his defeat in the 1982 election, Napier returned to the private practice of law in Bennettsville, until 1986, when
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
appointed him as judge in the
United States Claims Court The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute in 1982 as the United States Claims Court, ...
. He resigned from the court in 1989 and returned to private practice. In 1992 he served as special outside counsel in the House Committee on House Administration’s investigation of the Congressional Post Office scandal. In private practice, he served as special outside counsel to the House of Representatives' committee investigating the US House Post Office scandal. His later career has involved a national law and governmental relations practice in Washington and the Carolinas which has included representation of national associations, state and local government entities, private industry, as well as individuals in a wide variety of governmental issues.


External links

*
John Light Napier
personal website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, John Light 1947 births Living people People from Marlboro County, South Carolina University of South Carolina alumni Judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims United States Article I federal judges appointed by Ronald Reagan 20th-century American judges Davidson College alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina 20th-century American politicians Members of Congress who became lobbyists