“S” is for Sheheen, Robert Joseph (b. 1943). Lawyer, legislator. A native of Camden, Sheheen graduated from Duke University and the University of South Carolina Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1968 and elected from Kershaw County to the S.C. House of Representatives in 1976. As chair of the judiciary committee (1981-1986), he championed freedom of information legislation and the strengthening of local government powers. In 1986 Sheheen was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. As Speaker, he devoted much of his time to organizational and procedural issues at a time when South Carolina’s two-party system was growing increasingly partisan and competitive. Sheheen’s eight years as Speaker ended in 1994 when Republicans took control of the House. After his legislative service, Robert Joseph Sheheen continued his law practice in Camden.
