THOMAS H. POPE, JR.

1913-1999

Thomas Harrington Pope, Jr. was born in Kinards, Newberry County, on July 28, 1913.  He graduated from the Citadel in 1935 and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1938. Pope, a National Guard Captain, was called to active duty in WWII and he served in North Africa and Italy with the 107th Anti-aircraft Battalion. By the end of the war, he had earned a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and retired as a Brigadier General in the National Guard.  Pope served in the South Carolina House of Representatives and is still the youngest Speaker of the House on record.  He chaired the state Foundation of Independent Colleges. He was President of the South Carolina Bar Association in 1964, served on the State Ports Authority from 1958 to 1965, and served on the Commission on Archives and History from 1965 to 1975.  His interest in local history led him to write the two-volume History of Newberry County (1973, 1992). 

Pope founded Pope & Hudgens, the predecessor to Pope Parker Jenkins, P.A., in 1938.  He was an “old school” trial lawyer who practiced in all courts over his career, including federal district court, circuit court, probate court, and magistrate’s court.  He tried every conceivable type of case, both civil and criminal, including breach of fiduciary duty, railroad injury cases, murder, divorce and custody, federal antitrust, wrongful death, stockholder actions, car wrecks, product liability, arson, and contract actions.  

He was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a recipient of the South Carolina Compleat Lawyer of the Year Award.  

Pope was married to Mary Waties Lumpkin  and they had three children – Waties, Tom, and Gary. He passed on August 23, 1999, leaving a legacy of excellence as one of the premier trial lawyers of the 20^th Century in South Carolina.  An endowed professorship, the Thomas H. Pope Professorship in Trial Advocacy and Ethics, has been established at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

JOSEPH W. HUDGENS

1932-2019

In December 2019, Joe Hudgens passed away at the age of 87. Mr. Hudgens was a gentleman and a scholar. He grew up in Taylors, South Carolina, and graduated from Taylors High School in 1950. He graduated from Furman University in 1954, the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1956, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, in 1964. Mr. Hudgens was a true student of the law and he enjoyed an active practice as a specialist in the field of real estate, probate, and business matters. He influenced many young lawyers with his sage advice. He excelled as an appellate lawyer and argued several cases at the Supreme Court. He is the only lawyer who has ever served as a judicial clerk for two sitting Chief Justices of the South Carolina Supreme Court. Mr. Hudgens was a brilliant counselor for over 45 years.