Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-South Carolina) will deliver the main address to approximately 280 degree candidates at Lander University's spring commencement on Saturday, April 30, in the university's Finis Horne Arena. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m.
Duncan was elected from the Third District last November becoming the first South Carolinian elected to Congress from Laurens County since George Washington Shell 114 years ago.
Duncan grew up in Laurens and is a 1988 graduate of Clemson University, where he played football for the legendary head coach Danny Ford.
From 2002 until 2010, he was a member of the S.C. House of Representatives from District 15, Laurens and Newberry counties, and served as chair of the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee. During his time in the legislature, Duncan was named Taxpayer Hero for his efforts in combating wasteful government spending and higher taxes. He has also received the Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Businesses. He is a small- business owner himself as head of J. Duncan Associates, a real estate marketing firm specializing in real estate auctions.
In Washington, Duncan is a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, the Homeland Security Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Earlier, he was a member of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Outer Continental Shelf Planning Subcommittee charged with submitting recommendations for oil and natural gas leases in offshore areas. He also served on the state's Natural Gas Offshore Drilling Study Committee and represented South Carolina on the Southern States Energy Board.
In 2010, Governor Mark Sanford conferred on him The Order of the Palmetto, which is the state's highest civilian award.
Duncan and his wife, Melody, have been married for 22 years and have three sons: Graham, John Philip and Parker.