Joseph T. McElveen

Mayor McElveen, a Sumter, South Carolina native, graduated from the Citadel in 1968. He graduated from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1971.  Mayor McElveen served in the U.S. Air Force, and was honorably discharged in 1977. He is a past member of the Sumter County Drug Abuse Council. He has served as a member of the City of Sumter Zoning Board of Adjustments, as well as a member of the City/County Planning Commission. He has also served as a member of the Sumter City Council.

He is a past President of the Sumter Jaycees, the Sumter Optimist Club, and the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce. 

Mayor McElveen served on City Council (1984-1986) and as a member of the S.C. House of Representatives (1986-1996), representing SumterCounty. He served on the Judiciary Committee and the Rules Committee.

Mayor McElveen is married to the former Kathy Watson. They have two children and two grandchildren. He and his family attend First Presbyterian Church where he has served as an elder and a deacon.