George Tillman Gregory, Jr. was born on December 13, 1921 to George Tillman and Inez Anderson Gregory in McConnells, South Carolina. He graduated from Chester High School, and earned his bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina.
Justice Gregory began practicing law in Chester in 1944 and served as a municipal judge from 1946 to 1950. He was a state representative in the 1950’s and became a Circuit Court judge in 1956. He joined the South Carolina Supreme Court in 1975 and was chief justice from 1988 until his retirement in 1991. He led changes in the Supreme Court, including the adoption of new rules of professional conduct for lawyers and the addition of nine trial judges to the Circuit Court system.
He was named Chester Young Man of the Year in 1956 and Chester Family of the Year in 1976; a Trustee for Furman University; a Delegate to the National Conference of State Trial Judges and National Appellate Judges Conference; and a Member of the House of Representatives from 1951–1952 and 1955–1956.
Despite his personal disability, Justice Gregory was an avid sports enthusiast and had near–perfect attendance at USC football and basketball games. His noble characteristics earned him great respect from his colleagues and fellow members of the bench and bar. He was held in such high esteem by the bar that no attorney in the state of South Carolina had ever asked that he disqualify himself in any case in the nineteen years he served as Circuit Judge. Justice Gregory was married to the late Willie Mae Elliott. He is survived by two sons, George T. Gregory III and William E. Gregory, and four grandchildren.