Don Beaty Awarded the Order of the Palmetto
- Charles Reams
- Apr 25
- 1 min read
Retired Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty was awarded the Order of the Palmetto at a special term of the South Carolina Supreme Court April 22.
Presented by Gov. Henry McMaster, the award is the highest civilian honor in South Carolina and is given at the governor’s discretion for extraordinary achievement and service to the community and state. A portrait of Beatty, painted by James Crowley, was also unveiled during the event.
Beatty was born in Spartanburg and represented the county’s 31st District in the state House of Representatives from 1991-95.
“Chief Justice Beatty led this Court with wisdom, integrity, and a deep commitment to justice,” said current Chief Justice John W. Kittredge. “On behalf of the Court, I am pleased to accept this portrait, which will be included in the Court’s permanent collection and displayed in a place of prominence. We appreciate the Historical Society’s role in continuing the time-honored tradition of judicial portraiture, which serves not only as a visual connection between the citizens of South Carolina and the judiciary but also as a tangible representation of the judicial system’s history and values.”
Beatty served on the state’s Circuit Court bench from 1995 to 2003, the Court of Appeals from 2003 to 2007 and the Supreme Court from 2007 to 2024, with the last seven years of his service as chief justice.
