Commissioner John N. Hardee begins new term at SCDOT
May 6, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – May 6, 2014 – Loris native John N. Hardee has begun a new term as South Carolina Department of Transportation Commissioner.
Hardee, representing the 2nd Congressional District, is Director of Public Affairs for Lamar Outdoor Advertising. The 2nd Congressional District includes Aiken County, Barnwell County, Lexington County and a portion of Richland County. Hardee previously served on the SCDOT Commission from 1998 to 2007 including a term as Vice Chairman from 2002 to 2004.
Over a six-year period, Hardee helped secure $1.2 million in funding for enhancements in the Loris community. A portion of US Highway 701 is named in his honor.
Hardee has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Midlands Council of Governments since 2004. He is chairman of the Midlands Authority for Conventions, Sports & Tourism and was a member of the Richland County Transportation Committee prior to becoming an SCDOT Commissioner again.
For his efforts in securing funding for the Airport Connector, the road was named in his honor, the “John N. Hardee Expressway.”
In 1998, Governor David Beasley awarded Hardee the state’s highest honor, the Order of the Palmetto, because of his leadership in the transportation field.
Hardee is married to Sheila Leatherman, and they have one son, John N. Hardee II.
In addition to Hardee, two Commissioners who have begun serving terms are Samuel B. Glover, of Orangeburg, representing the 6th Congressional District; and Woodrow W. Willard Jr., of Spartanburg, representing the 4th Congressional District.
