Harry A. Chapman Jr.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina and its law school, he was a member of the South Carolina Bar, the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, and the Greenville County Bar, where he served as President. He was a practicing attorney for over fifty years.

Harry loved connecting with others and began his public service at an early age. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for four years and in the South Carolina Senate for eighteen years, representing Greenville County. As a member of the South Carolina Senate, he served as Chairman of the Medical Affairs Committee and later as the Chairman of the Education Committee. He received numerous awards and was a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto.

Harry was a member of the Board of Trustees of both the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina. He also served on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina State Ports Authority, and was a member of the Greenville Hospital System Board of Trustees.

Harry was fiercely loyal to his family, his many friends, and the Democratic Party. He never walked into Palmetto Fine Foods, O.J.’s Diner, or Tommy’s Ham House without seeing a familiar face, and he could never say no to banana pudding, a fried apple pie, a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut, or a Democrat running for office.

He was a much-beloved husband, father, and grandfather, whose family will miss him tremendously. Surviving are his wife, Alvena M. Chapman; daughter, Karen Camille Chapman, and her husband, Arthur (Mac) McLean; daughter-in-law, Kathleen Chapman; grandchildren, Macon Chapman McLean, Catherine (Cates) McLean, and Harry A. Chapman, IV; step-children, R. Taylor Smarr and Tressa Smarr Wayman; and many step-grandchildren. His son, Harry A. Chapman, III, predeceased him in 2017.

A private graveside service will be held. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later time.

Memorials may be made to the Children’s Hospital Seed Fund at Prisma Health-Upstate in memory of Harry A. Chapman, III, 300 East McBee Avenue, Greenville, SC 29601, or to the charity of one’s choosing.