| John E. Courson | |
| Office1: | President pro tempore of the South Carolina Senate[1] |
| Term Start1: | March 13, 2012 |
| Term End1: | June 4, 2014 |
| Predecessor1: | Glenn F. McConnell |
| Succeeded1: | Yancey McGill |
| State Senate2: | South Carolina |
| District2: | 20th |
| Term Start2: | December 15, 1985 |
| Term End2: | June 4, 2018 |
| Succeeded2: | Dick Harpootlian |
| Birth Date: | 21 November 1944 |
| Birth Place: | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Spouse: | Elizabeth Exum |
| Party: | Republican |
John E. Courson (born November 21, 1944) is a former American politician. He served as a Republican member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 20th District from 1985 to 2018. He resigned after pleading guilty to a common law misconduct charge in office.[2]
John Courson was born on November 21, 1944, and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1968.
He has served as a Republican state senator for South Carolina from 1985 to 2018. In 1998, he ran for Comptroller General of South Carolina, but lost to Jim Lander.[3]
He was elected President Pro Tempore of the South Carolina Senate on March 13, 2012,[4] but resigned this office on June 4, 2014, to avoid becoming Lieutenant Governor, a weak position that needed to be filled for six months before a new Lieutenant Governor was elected in 2014.[5]
In March 2017, during the South Carolina Statehouse corruption investigation, Courson was indicted on ethics charges for mishandling campaign funds and subsequently suspended from office.[6] He resigned June 4, 2018, after pleading guilty to such charges.
He is married to Elizabeth Poinsett Exum, and they have three children: James Poinsett, Elizabeth Boykin, and Harris Russell. He is Episcopalian.