Hugh Weathers

Hugh Weathers is an American politician from South Carolina. He serves as South Carolina's Commissioner of Agriculture. He has held the position since September 14, 2004. Weathers is a member of the Republican Party.

Hugh Weathers
Agriculture Commissioner of South Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office September 14, 2004
Governor	Mark Sanford Nikki Haley Henry McMaster
Preceded by	Charles Sharpe
Personal details
Born	(1956-06-27) June 27, 1956 (age 69) Bowman, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Blanche Weathers
Children	3
Education	University of South Carolina (BS)

Early life and career

Weathers is from Bowman, South Carolina, where he grew up on Weathers Farms, a 2,000-acre (810 ha) dairy farm.^[1] He graduated from Bowman Academy as its valedictorian.^[2] He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from the University of South Carolina in 1980, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.^[3]

Weathers joined the family dairy business in 1980.^[3] He and his brother, Landry, inherited the farm.^[4]

Commissioner of Agriculture

Governor Nikki Haley and Hugh Weathers (right)

Weathers was appointed by Governor Mark Sanford on September 14, 2004, to be the commissioner of agriculture after the incumbent commissioner, Charles Sharpe, had been accused of illegal cockfighting, lying to investigators, extortion, and money laundering.^[5][6] Weathers won the following election in 2006.^[7][a]

As commissioner of agriculture, Weathers sought to expand consumers' access and reliance on local produce. In 2006, Weathers oversaw the creation of the branding "Certified SC Grown" to highlight produce grown in South Carolina.^[9] Weathers also advocated to increase the economic impact of the department to $50 billion by 2020.^[10]

Weathers won reelection in the 2022 general election with 77.6% of the vote, defeating Green Party candidate David Edmond.^[11] Weathers indicated that this will be his final term in office.^[12]

South Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Election, 2022^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hugh Weathers (incumbent)	1,085,139	77.6%
	Green	David Edmond	213,219	15.3%
	United Citizens	Chris Nelums	95,625	6.8%
Total votes			1,398,392	100%

Personal life

Weathers is married with three children and is a fourth-generation farmer.^[10][7]

Notes

1. While some sources describe Weathers as interim commissioner between his appointment on September 14, 2004 and swearing in for a full term on January 10, 2007 after his first election victory, Section 46-3-40 of the South Carolina Code of Laws declares that any person the governor appoints to the vacant office is the next commissioner of agriculture.^[8]