A house RESOLUTION

To Honor Douglas Jennings, Jr., of Bennettsville, for his accomplished career as an attorney and as a legislator in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Whereas, Douglas Jennings, Jr., was born on May 15, 1956, in Bennettsville, where he attended local schools. In 1978, he graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor's degree in political science and earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1982. In 2002, he received an honorary doctorate from Francis Marion University; and

Whereas, in May of 1982, he returned to Bennettsville to work as a full-time assistant solicitor for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, transitioning to private practice in 1984. The Douglas Jennings Law Firm, LLC, where he continues to work, focuses its practice primarily on civil litigation. In 1993, he was honored with the Compleat Lawyer Award, given to law school alumni for outstanding civic and professional accomplishments; and

Whereas, Douglas Jennings was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives representing District 54 in March of 1991 to serve an unexpired term. He was reelected thereafter and served in the House until 2010, holding leadership positions of first vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and as chairman of the committee's Constitutional Laws Subcommittee, Special Laws Subcommittee, and Criminal Laws Subcommittee; and

Whereas, during his twenty years of legislative service, he strived to work "across the aisle" to create bipartisan working relationships. Upon his retirement from the House of Representatives in 2010, he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by former Governor Mark Sanford in July of that same year. The South Carolina General Assembly and South Carolina Department of Transportation further honored him by naming a portion of South Carolina Highway 38 from Bennettsville to Blenheim as the "Douglas Jennings, Jr. Highway"; and

Whereas, Douglas Jennings has received many awards and honors throughout his career, including Legislator of the Year in 1995 by the South Carolina Department of Revenue, Legislator of the Year in 1997 by the South Carolina Trooper's Association, the President's Award in 1998 from the Marlboro County Branch of the NAACP , the Governor's Rural Economic Development Leadership Award in 1999, and Legislator of the Year in 2000 from three organizations: the South Carolina Human Services Providers Association, the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, and the South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association. In 2001, he received the Marlboro County Board of Education Spotlight Award for his dedicated service to public education on behalf of the citizens of Marlboro County, an Award of Appreciation from the South Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations, and a Distinguished Service Award from "Save the Seed Ministry" of The Bennettsville Circuit 1 of the United Methodist Church; and

Whereas, he is married to the former Suzanne Cox of Marion and is the proud father of Douglas Edmund Jennings, of Charleston; Martha Grace Jennings, of Charleston; and Shannon D. Young, of Mount Pleasant. He also has six grandchildren whom he enjoys spoiling. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, honor Douglas Jennings, Jr., of Bennettsville, for his accomplished career as an attorney and as a legislator in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Douglas Jennings, Jr.

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