United States Senator Lindsey Graham will deliver a motivational address to approximately 284 degree candidates at Lander University's spring commencement ceremonies, 11 a.m. Saturday, May 1, in the university's Horne Arena. During the ceremonies, the university will confer an honorary doctorate of laws upon Graham.
Graham was elected to serve as United States Senator on Nov. 5, 2002. A native South Carolinian, he grew up in Central, graduated from D.W. Daniel High School, and earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
Graham logged six-and-a-half years of service on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. From 1984-88, he was assigned overseas and served at Rhein Mein Air Force Base in Germany. Upon leaving the active duty Air Force in 1989, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard where he served until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994.
During the first Gulf War, Graham was called to active duty and served stateside at McEntire Air National Guard Base as Staff Judge Advocate where he prepared members for deployment to the Gulf region. His duties included briefing pilots on the law of armed conflict, preparing legal documents for deploying troops and providing legal services for family members of the South Carolina Air National Guard. He received a commendation medal for his service at McEntire.
Since 1995, Graham has continued to serve his country in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and is one of only two U.S. Senators currently serving in the Guard or Reserves. He is a colonel and is assigned as a Senior Instructor at the Air Force JAG School.
In 1988, Graham went into private law practice, and in 1992 he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1994, he became the first Republican to represent South Carolina's Third Congressional District in Washington since 1877. He serves on six committees in the U.S. Senate: Aging, Armed Services, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Judiciary, Budget and Veterans Affairs.
Graham lives in Seneca and is a member of Corinth Baptist Church.
Tickets are required to attend the commencement ceremony. For information, visit www.lander.edu.