Born in Washington, D.C., Philip Wilmeth received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and his law degree from Harvard Law School. During World War II, he served in the Navy aboard the Destroyer, the U.S.S. Murray, in the South Pacific.
In 1947, he was admitted to the South Carolina Bar and joined his father’s practice in Hartsville. He specialized in corporate, probate and real estate law. At the end of his career, he continued to represent many of the same corporations and families his father began representing in 1920.He served as Mayor of Hartsville, and as a member of the South Carolina Legislature. He served on the Board of Trustees of Coker College, Byerly Hospital, the Darlington County Historical Society, and the Hartsville Museum. He was an active member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, serving as Senior Warden.
A gentle and patient man with a keen intellect, his advice and counsel were sought by corporations and individuals alike on business, as well as personal matters.