Tommy Pope

Thomas E. Pope was born on July 24, 1962, in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He is a Republican who currently serves as Speaker Pro Tempore of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 47 in York County since 2010.

Pope comes from a family with deep roots in public service. His father was a sheriff and his mother was a school teacher. He is married to Kimberly Greenwood and has four children: Logan, Jacob, Preston, and Kaylen, along with two grandchildren.

Education

Pope graduated from Rock Hill High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of South Carolina in 1984. He also attended the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, graduating with honors in 1983. He went on to earn a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1987 and was admitted to practice law in South Carolina in 1988.

Political and Professional Experience

Before his legislative career, Pope worked as an agent for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division from 1981 to 1988. He was elected Solicitor for the 16th Judicial Circuit, representing Union and York counties, serving from 1993 to 2006. During his tenure as solicitor, he is most notably recognized for prosecuting Susan Smith in 1995 for the drowning deaths of her two children, a case that garnered national attention.

Pope left the solicitor's office in 2006 and established his own law practice. In 2008, he joined the Elrod Law Firm to form Elrod Pope Law Firm, where he serves as a managing partner and Senior Counsel, focusing on personal injury law.

Pope was first elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2010 and has been re-elected multiple times. In December 2014, his peers elected him Speaker Pro Tempore, a position he has held continuously and was re-elected to by acclamation in 2024.

Throughout his career, Pope has received numerous honors, including the Order of the Palmetto , Super Lawyer recognition , and the Legislator of the Year Award from both the South Carolina Recreation and Parks Association and the Adult Education Directors Division of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators .