Jacob Hill Jennings

1930 - 2025

Jacob Hill Jennings

May 15, 1930 - May 19, 2025

Bishopville, South Carolina - Jacob Hill Jennings, age 95, beloved husband of Jane Marie Hancock Jennings and a retired Bishopville attorney for 65 years, went to his heavenly home on May 19, 2025.

Jacob was a lifelong resident of Lee County. The middle son of the late Henry Caldwell and Mary Green Hill Jennings. He graduated from Bishopville High School in 1947 and from Wofford College in 1950, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order and served as Number One his senior year. He was editor of the annual, a member of Blue Key, and listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. Jacob graduated cum laude from the South Carolina Law School in 1953. He was editor of the Law Review and was the recipient of the Claude Sapp Award, chosen by the senior class in recognition of scholarship, leadership, and industry. Jacob served two years in the United States Air Force and was a member of the active Air Force Reserves for 26 years, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Jacob joined his father, a sole practitioner for many years, in the practice of law in Bishopville in 1955, where the firm became known as Jennings & Jennings. His younger brother, Robert, joined the firm some five years later, and his partnership continued until their father's death in 1978. Robert Jennings passed away in 2011, and Jacob continued to practice with two associates, Bryan Doby and Will Wheeler.

In his professional life, Jacob served as town attorney for Bishopville for over 50 years and represented the Lee County School Board for many years. Jacob served in the South Carolina Bar in a number of capacities, serving as President of the South Carolina Bar and President of the South Carolina Bar Foundation. He served terms on several committees and boards of the South Carolina Bar. Jacob was inducted into membership, became a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1983, and served a term as State Chair of that organization. In 1998, the University of South Carolina Law School Alumni Association honored Jacob with the Platinum Compleat Lawyer Award in recognition of his competence, ethics, and integrity. The Platinum Award is given only to attorneys who have practiced for at least thirty years or longer.

Jacob served as Chairman of the Lee County Hospital Board for several years and was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of South Carolina (Synovus). He served a term in the South Carolina House of Representatives and served on the Board of Review for the Boy Scouts of America, having been an Eagle Scout and a member of the Order of the Arrow. Besides his profession and civic duties, Jacob enjoyed hunting, playing golf, traveling, and vacationing at the beach with family and friends.

Jacob loved his church, Bethlehem United Methodist, and was a faithful, lifelong member. He was a Sunday School Teacher in both the youth and adult departments, twice served as the Chairman of the Administrative Board, as well as on the Board of Trustees, and Chairman of the Council on Ministries. He was an active member of the Joe Fanning Sunday School Class for over 65 years.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Jane Marie Hancock Jennings; son, Jacob Hill Jennings, Jr.; daughter-in-law, Ellen Yenyo Jennings, of Columbia, SC; daughter, Rebekah Jennings Murphy of Duluth, Georgia; three grandchildren, Rachel Leigh Jennings Bowen and her husband James (Jay) Johnson Bowen, Jacob (Coby) Hill Jennings III and his wife Gracyn Malkiewicz Jennings, all of Columbia, SC, Kathryn Marie Murphy of Duluth, Georgia; and a sister-in-law, June Jennings of Greenville, South Carolina. Jacob is also survived by two nieces, Sarah Jennings Johnstone (Trip) of Greenville, South Carolina, and Laura Jennings Mincher (Tom) of Greensboro, NC; six great-nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by brothers Henry Caldwell Jennings, Jr., Robert Dennis Jennings; and his nephew Robert (Bob) Dennis Jennings, Jr.

The family will receive friends from 5 until 7 p.m. on Friday, May 23, 2025, at Hancock Elmore-Hill Funeral Home. A funeral service to honor his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at the Bethlehem United Methodist Church. The Reverend Dr. Kay Adams Best and The Reverend Fred McDaniel will officiate, with burial to follow at the Jennings burial plot in Bethlehem United Methodist Church Cemetery. Military Honors will be rendered by the United States Air Force. The family would like to invite guests to a reception at the Bishopville Opera House immediately following the interment.

Memorials may be made to Bethlehem United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 167, Bishopville, SC 29010, the South Carolina Bar Foundation, P.O. Box 608, Columbia, SC 29202, or to a charity of your choice.