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TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UPON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE EDWARD BENJAMIN COTTINGHAM OF MARLBORO COUNTY AND TO EXTEND THEIR DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS LOVING FAMILY AND HIS MANY FRIENDS.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives were saddened to learn of the death of their former colleague and friend, the Honorable Edward Benjamin Cottingham, at the age of ninety-two on March 24, 2021; and
Whereas, born in Bennettsville on June 27, 1928, he was the son of the late Margaret Waggoman Cottingham and Vance Calhoun Cottingham, and he graduated from Bennettsville High School. In 1946, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for two years aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS LEYTE CV 32 in the European Middle Eastern Mediterranean Theater of Operations; and
Whereas, after receiving an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1948, Mr. Cottingham attended the University of Virginia and later transferred to the University of South Carolina (UofSC), where he earned a juris doctorate in 1953, was named to the UofSC Debate Team Hall of Fame, and joined the Air Force ROTC, receiving a commission as Second Lieutenant in 1951; and
Whereas, after law school, he returned to Bennettsville where he spent thirty-two years as an attorney, first in the law practice of the late Russell Miller. In 1954, he and the late William Goldberg formed the law firm of Goldberg and Cottingham, which later became Goldberg, Cottingham, Easterling, and Napier; and
Whereas, a lifetime member of First United Methodist Church and devoted to his community, Mr. Cottingham served as chairman of the Marlboro County Development Board, the Marlboro Civic Center Restoration, and the Bennettsville Great Town Committee, and he was a trustee of the Bennettsville School Board and a Rotary Club member; and
Whereas, he was elected to serve in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1954 to 1958, as the youngest member, and again from 1966 to 1972, when he was elected to the South Carolina Highway Commission, serving as vice chairman and chairman; and
Whereas, in 1960, Mr. Cottingham became a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina, and he served as a member of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce; and
Whereas, elected resident judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit in 1984, he served until his retirement in 2000 and continued as an active retired circuit judge until 2014. During his tenure, he was vice president and president of the Circuit Judges Association and served on the Circuit Judges' Advisory Committee and the Judicial Standards Committee. He graduated from the National Judicial College in 1984 and served as a faculty advisor in 1993; and
Whereas, together with is beloved wife of fifty-five years, the late Iris Evans Cottingham, he reared two fine children, Jean Cottingham Clifton of Lexington and Edward Benjamin Cottingham, Jr., of Mount Pleasant. His children blessed him with the affection of six grandchildren: Stephen Benjamin Clifton, Evan Cottingham Powers, Brett Cottingham Clifton, Caroline Cottingham Buse, Haley Cottingham, and Edward Benjamin Cottingham III. He was blessed to see the continuation of his loving family legacy in his great-granddaughter, Charlotte Evans Clifton; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are grateful for the life and legacy of Edward Cottingham and for the example of service and kindness he set for all who knew him. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of the Honorable Edward Benjamin Cottingham of Marlboro County and extend their deepest sympathy to his loving family and his many friends.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of the Honorable Edward Benjamin Cottingham.
This web page was last updated on April 6, 2021 at 3:58 PM