| George E. "Chip" Campsen III is a Republican member of the South Carolina Senate. He has represented Senate District 43 since 2004. The district encompasses coastal portions of Charleston, Beaufort & Colleton Counties, from Bulls Bay to Port Royal Sound. An avid outdoorsman and surfer, Chip has spent a lifetime of adventures along this coast and knows it like the back of his hand. It is the most historic, beautiful and pristine district in the nation. And Chip fights to keep it that way!
Chip is a 5th generation Lowcountry native who was born and raised on the Isle of Palms. He is the son of the late George and Myrtle "Snap" Campsen of Charleston.
Chip's father, George E. Campsen, Jr., was a lawyer, businessman and member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. He was a graduate of the Citadel and University of South Carolina Law School, Captain of the Citadel Boxing Team and a formidable trial attorney. Mr. Campsen instilled a love for public policy in his children. Every night around the dinner table was a civics lesson.
For years Chip's mother Snap served on steering committees that produced American Cancer Society shows and March of Dimes telethons in Charleston. She was a United States Tennis Association National Champion. Snap and George instilled a love for the great outdoors in the family. An avid outdoorsman, Mr. Campsen would often encourage the family to, "Spend some time hugging Mother Nature".
As an adult Chip has lived in Mt. Pleasant, downtown Charleston, and currently resides on the Isle of Palms. Chip is married to the former Lalla Lee Laffitte of Columbia. Lalla Lee and Chip have two outstanding sons, George Campsen IV and Boyce Campsen, both of whom graduated from The Citadel Honors College with 4.0 GPAs. George is a Charleston Harbor Pilot who pilots large ships in and out of Charleston Harbor. Boyce is engaged in commercial real estate development with Buxton Development Group in Mt. Pleasant. George and Boyce are also professional offshore fishing captains and mates. Chip, George and Boyce are Eagle Scouts.
Chip graduated from Wando High School in Mt. Pleasant, attended the Citadel for two years, and graduated magna cum laude from Furman University with a B.S. in Biology. He holds J.D. and MBA degrees from the University of South Carolina, is a licensed South Carolina Real Estate Broker, and holds a 100-ton U.S. Coast Guard Captain's License.
An attorney and businessman, Chip is President of Fort Sumter Tours, Inc. and SpiritLine Cruises, LLC, which operate passenger vessels in Charleston Harbor. He is a principal in the Campsen Law Firm.
Chip is Chairman of the Senate Fish, Game & Forestry Committee. He also serves on the Senate Judiciary, Rules, Transportation, Legislative Oversight, and Agriculture & Natural Resources Committees. Chip is Chairman of the Charleston County Legislative Delegation, Senate Sportsmen's Caucus and Senate Religious Liberty Caucus. He is past Chairman of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission that screens judicial candidates.
Senator Campsen's areas of focus in the General Assembly include constitutional law, natural resource law, election law, fiscal policy, criminal justice reform, government restructuring and all matters affecting the coast.
His previous public service includes the South Carolina House of Representatives (1997-2002), Co-chairman of Governor Mark Sanford's Transition Team (2002-03), and Senior Policy Advisor to Governor Mark Sanford (2003).
Chip's community service has included Charleston Southern University Board of Visitors; MUSC President's Advisory Council; SC Baptist Convention Committee on Constitution, By-Laws and Business and Financial Plan; Justice Fellowship Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform; Board of Directors, Boy Scouts Coastal Carolina Council; Deacon and Church Council, East Cooper Baptist Church; Competition Judge for the Eastern Surfing Association; and Vice Chairman of the South Carolina Wildlife Partnership.
Chip has a lifelong passion for athletic competition. He ran track and played football in high school and college, was the SC State High School Champion and record holder in the pole vault, and earned All Southern Conference honors in college. Chip surfed competitively for several years in Eastern Surfing Association competitions and was a semi-finalist in the East Coast Surfing Championship. Chip also competes in offshore fishing tournaments. In 2018 his fishing team won three of the five South Carolina Governor's Cup Billfish Tournaments, as well as the Governor's Cup Billfish Series overall. In the process they set a record that stands to this day.
Chip enjoys studying history, economics, political philosophy, theology and natural history. He typically spends free time with his family hunting, fishing, surfing and managing forestland for wildlife habitat and sustainable harvest. |