James Hamilton Stewart III

James Hamilton “Jimmie” Stewart, III, died on November 11, 2016, in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Born in Greenville, South Carolina on June 21, 1943, he was the son of James Hamilton Stewart, Jr. and Martha Elizabeth Givens, both of Fountain Inn, South Carolina. Jimmie graduated from Greenville High School. He received Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Presbyterian College, where he was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and was Vice-President of his senior class. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of the Wig and Robe honor society, served in various capacities on the Law Review and was a Legal Writing Instructor. Jimmie was a long time member of the First Presbyterian Church, and former member of Fourth Presbyterian Church. In keeping with his love for gardening, he quietly donated landscaping projects to both churches in memory of family members and his mentor Frank Ogletree. He was preceded in death by his brother John Carroll Stewart (Sue). He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Blanche Isom Stewart and by two sons and their families, son James Hamilton Stewart, IV, grandchildren James Hamilton (Jamie) Stewart, V, and McCarley Anne “B” Stewart, and son Givens Barringer Stewart (Elizabeth), grandchildren Givens Barringer Stewart, Jr., and Blakeley McLeod Stewart, a brother William Gerald Stewart (Stephanie), a sister Marilyn Genette Stewart and stepmother Nell Watson Stewart. After graduation from law school in 1969, Jimmie began his legal career in Greenville with the Love, Thornton, Arnold and Thomason firm. In 1971, he was a founding partner of the firm of Ogletree, Deakins, Smoak & Stewart (later Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart). From its beginning as a 16 lawyer firm with offices in Greenville and Atlanta, the firm grew to national and international prominence, having 49 offices across the country and internationally, and 800 lawyers at the time of his death. He was a member of the Bars of South Carolina, Tennessee and the District of Columbia while in active practice, and was admitted to practices in the United States Supreme Court and various United States Courts of Appeal. He was President of the Young Lawyers in the South Carolina Bar and former member of the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Bar. He was certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court as a Specialist in Employment and Labor Law, and was the Chairman of the South Carolina Bar’s Specialization Advisory Board which established the standards for certification as a specialist in the field. He was recognized for his professional achievements by Who’s Who in American Law, Best Lawyers in Americas, Chambers USA, Super Lawyers and was a Fellow in the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Jimmie was a lifelong outdoorsman, who loved hunting, farming and gardening. He shared these passions with his children and grandchildren. He became a Master Gardner and regularly volunteered at the Clemson Extension Office. His charitable focus was Camperdown Academy, a school for dyslexic children he and Blanche co-founded with other Greenville families in 1986. He was the first Chairman of the Camperdown Board of Trustees and a Member of that Board at the time of his death. He was a member of the Saint Andrews Society of Upper South Carolina, the Poinsett Club, the Commerce Club, and a former member of the Hibernian Society of Charleston, South Carolina. Jimmie would want to acknowledge Frances Josey, for the special place she held in his life after she helped to raise him and his brothers after his mother’s death. A memorial service will be held at 10am Tuesday, November 15, 2016 at First Presbyterian Church, 200 W. Washington St. Greenville, SC 29601. The family will receive friends immediately after the service in the church parlor. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Camperdown Academy at 501 Howell Road, Greenville, SC 29615.