SCDOT Re-Elects F. Hugh Atkins of Spartanburg to Third Term as Chairman of the Commission

COLUMBIA, SC – January 14, 2009 – The South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission (SCDOT) has re-elected F. Hugh Atkins of Spartanburg to a third term as Chairman of the Commission, and Henry H. Taylor of Lexington to a second term as Vice Chairman. Both were re-elected unanimously at the Commission’s monthly meeting in Columbia on January 14, 2009. 

Atkins has represented the 4th Congressional District as an SCDOT Commissioner since 2006 and was first elected Chairman in June 2008.  He previously served on the Commission from 1998 to 2002. 

A graduate of Clemson University, Atkins has in the past 40 years served in leadership positions in the Real Estate industry, including as President of Spartanburg and South Carolina Homebuilders Associations, president of the Spartanburg Board of Realtors and Director of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, where he served as chairman of the Chamber’s Transportation Committee. 

 In 1995, he received the state’s highest honor, the Order of the Palmetto, recognizing his many years of service on various boards and commissions, including as chairman of the Spartanburg County Planning and Development Commission, chairman of the Permanent Advisory Council, State Development Board, Clemson University Board of Visitors, Spartanburg Technical Education Commission, and others. 

In 2002, Atkins received the South Carolina Homebuilder’s Keystone Award for lifetime dedication to the homebuilding industry. 

Atkins is married to the former Nettie Allgood, and they have two daughters, Lanette and Melody. 

Henry Taylor has represented the 2nd Congressional District on the SCDOT Commission since March of 2007. He holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Carolina, and he is a cum laude graduate of the University of South Carolina’s School of Law. 

Taylor used his training as a mechanical engineer in design division at the former Charleston Naval Shipyard in Charleston. He primarily prepared and coordinated test programs for mechanical systems on Polaris submarines. 

After earning his law degree, Taylor spent 18 years practicing civil and criminal litigation with firms in the Midlands.  In 1990, he moved into the corporate arena as Vice President of Legal Affairs for Laidlaw Environmental Services, and later with the Safety Kleen Corporation. 

In 2001, Taylor returned to private practice as Senior Partner in the Taylor Law Firm in West Columbia where his practice consists primarily of civil litigation and commercial and business matters. Taylor is licensed to practice in South Carolina, the United States District Court for South Carolina, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. 

Taylor is married to Mollie DuPriest Taylor, and they have three children, Theresa LeeAnn, Pierce Butler II and Lever Curren II. 

Taylor also serves as the Chairman of the Commission’s Legislative Committee.