Edgar McGowan was born on June 1, 1920, in
Conway, South Carolina. He spent his youth in
Mullins, South Carolina. After high school, he attended the
University of Alabama where he met his wife, Mildred Parris of Painter, Alabama, a small town outside of
Geraldine, Alabama. They eloped in
Columbus, Mississippi on April 3, 1941. When
World War II began, they joined the
Signal Corp where they served together. From June 1945 until the end of the war, Ed McGowan served in the United States Army in combat zones throughout the
European Theater of Operations, primarily in
France. At the conclusion of the war, he returned to his home state of South Carolina to pursue a degree in accounting at the
University of South Carolina. He received a Bachelors of Arts (
Cum Laude, 1947) and a Masters of Accounting (1955). After graduation in 1947, he founded the Southeastern Audit & Tax Co. located then at 1329 1/2 Main St, in Columbia, South Carolina. He passed the examination for qualification to become a
Certified Public Accountant in November, 1947 and, having obtained the two years of required experience, was issued the certificate on June 30, 1950. Later, he received a
L.L.B. law degree from the
University of South Carolina School of Law in 1961. He took the bar exam in February 1961 and was one of only ten students admitted to the South Carolina Bar on April 8, 1961. While still a student in 1946, he began teaching classes at the university, initially as an instructor, then as an associate professor, and finally as an adjunct professor in accounting at University of South Carolina School of Business. "'He always said that he was happiest when he was teaching his students', said his wife, Mildred McGowan." He continued to be a professor until appointed as Commissioner of Labor in 1971. Prior to becoming Commissioner of Labor, he was elected to the town council of
Forest Acres, South Carolina, and served as Treasurer to the
South Carolina Democratic Party. After he retired from the state, he worked as an attorney for Constangy, Brooks, & Smith, LLP in Columbia, just one block from where he started his accounting firm. He was married to Mildred Parris McGowan until his passing. He had one son, Edgar "Lin" McGowan and one grandson, Jonathan "Jon" McGowan. He died on February 20, 2004, and is buried at Cameron Cemetery in
Cameron, South Carolina. ==Commissioner of Labor==