| Joseph Emile Harley | |
| Order: | 100th |
| Office: | Governor of South Carolina |
| Term Start: | November 4, 1941 |
| Term End: | February 27, 1942 |
| Lieutenant: | Vacant |
| Predecessor: | Burnet R. Maybank |
| Successor: | Richard Manning Jefferies |
| Office1: | 74th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina |
| Term1: | January 15, 1935 – November 4, 1941 |
| Governor1: | Olin D. Johnston Burnet R. Maybank |
| Predecessor1: | James Sheppard |
| Successor1: | Ransome Judson Williams |
| Office2: | Mayor of Barnwell, South Carolina |
| Term Start2: | 1912 |
| Term End2: | 1922 |
| Office3: | Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from Barnwell County |
| Term3: | January 11, 1927 – January 13, 1931 |
| Term4: | January 10, 1905 – January 12, 1909 |
| Birth Date: | 14 September 1880 |
| Birth Place: | Williston, South Carolina, United States |
| Restingplace: | Baptist Cemetery, Barnwell, South Carolina |
| Party: | Democrat |
| Spouse: | Agnes Richardson |
| Alma Mater: | University of South Carolina |
| Battles: | Spanish–American War |
| Allegiance: | United States |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Unit: | 1st South Carolina Volunteers |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Signature: | Signature of Joseph Emile Harley (1880–1942).png |
Joseph Emile Harley (September 14, 1880February 27, 1942) was the 100th governor of South Carolina from 1941 to 1942 and a member of the "Barnwell Ring."
Harley was born September 14, 1880, in Williston, South Carolina. Harley received an LLB from the University of South Carolina in 1902. He married Sarah Agnes Richardson and had three children with her.[1]
Harley served as a colonel in the South Carolina National Guard and as sergeant of Company L, 1st SC Volunteers in the Spanish–American War. He also worked as a lawyer, where he fought on behalf of three major railway companies including: the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Southern Railway, as well as the Seaboard Airline Railroad. As a member of the democratic party, Harley was a delegate at the 1908, 1924, 1928, and 1932 party conventions.[1] Harley also served as the mayor of Barnwell, South Carolina for ten years from 1912-1922.[2]
After being elected Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina in 1934 and re-elected in 1938, Harley became Governor of South Carolina on November 4, 1941, upon the resignation of Governor Burnet Maybank, who was elected to serve in the US Senate.[3]
On February 27, 1942, Governor Harley died in office after having served only four months. He died of terminal throat cancer. Harley could only communicate by writing in the last months of his life. He is buried in Baptist Cemetery, Barnwell, South Carolina.