Henry McMaster

RepublicanGovernor of South Carolina

Age	79 (b. 1947-05-27)
Gender	Male
In office since	2017-01-01 (~9 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	White
Religion	Christian (Presbyterian; member of First Presbyterian Church, Columbia)
Education	B.A. in History, University of South Carolina (1969); J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law (1973)
Prior occupation	Attorney (federal prosecutor and private practice); U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina (1981-1985)
Military service	Yes: United States Army Reserve
Birthplace	Columbia, South Carolina
Marital status	Married — Peggy McMaster (nee Anderson)
Children	2
Residence	Columbia, South Carolina (Governor's Mansion)
Notable relatives	Father John Gregg McMaster Jr. was an attorney and former South Carolina State Representative; son Henry D. McMaster Jr.; daughter Mary Rogers McMaster

Wikipedia

Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	2002
Previous offices	U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina (1981-1985) · Chairman, South Carolina Republican Party (1993-2002) · Attorney General of South Carolina (2003-2011) · Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (2015-2017)
Leadership	Governor of South Carolina (since 2017) · Chairman, South Carolina Republican Party (1993-2002)
Ideology	Conservative Republican; early and prominent supporter of Donald Trump (delivered Trump's nominating speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention)
Signature legislation	2023 Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act (six-week abortion ban), signed into law · 2024 constitutional/open-carry law allowing permitless open carry of firearms, signed into law · 2022 law requiring student athletes to compete based on birth-certificate sex, signed into law

Financial

Net worth: estimate

Columbia, SC residential rental properties (approx. 20 single- and multi-family homes, incl. properties on Greene Street and Henderson Street near University of South Carolina)

real_estate · $5,800,000–$5,800,000 · 2016

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolved — S.C. State Ethics Commission campaign-finance violation (2010 gubernatorial campaign)

campaign-finance · 2010 · South Carolina State Ethics Commission · Settlement: McMaster agreed to repay roughly $73,000 in excessive campaign contributions and pay a $5,100 fine.

A 2014 ethics complaint (filed by a Greenville resident) alleged that McMaster's 2010 gubernatorial campaign collected more than $50,000 in excess of contribution limits by soliciting donations for a general election in which he was not participating (he lost the GOP nomination to Nikki Haley). The South Carolina State Ethics Commission charged him in January 2015. In March 2016 McMaster settled, agreeing to return about $73,000 in excessive contributions and to pay a $5,100 fine. He was Lieutenant Governor at the time and remained in office.

Sources: FITSNews · FITSNews · Wikipedia

resolved — Adams v. McMaster — SAFE Grants program ruled unconstitutional

abuse-of-office · 2020-07-20 · In July 2020, Governor McMaster directed $32 million in federal CARES Act education relief funds (GEER funds) toward a new 'Safe Access to Flexible Education' (SAFE) Grants Program, which would have provided need-based grants of up to $6,500 per student to help cover private-school tuition. Parents and public-school advocates challenged the program in an original-jurisdiction action before the South Carolina Supreme Court. On October 7, 2020, the Court ruled unanimously that because the federal funds passed through the state treasury before disbursement they became 'public funds,' and that directing them to private and religious schools violated Article XI, Section 4 of the South Carolina Constitution, which bars the use of public funds for the direct benefit of private or religious educational institutions. The ruling blocked implementation of the program. · South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously struck down the governor's SAFE Grants allocation as unconstitutional; the $32 million program was blocked. McMaster petitioned for rehearing, which was denied. No personal fine or penalty was imposed on McMaster; the finding was against the official action itself.

The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Governor McMaster's direction of $32 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to a private-school tuition voucher program (SAFE Grants) violated the state constitution's ban on using public funds to directly benefit private or religious schools, blocking the program's implementation.

Sources: South Carolina Supreme Court / Justia · WCIV (ABC News 4) · WIS-TV