PETER AND PATTI MCGEE
Peter and Patti McGee were two of Charleston's most memorable civic leaders of their day.
An SOB attorney, Joseph Halstead "Peter" McGee, was a dynamic leader particularly through his advocacy with Historic Charleston Foundation. According to a Post & Courier editorial (April 27, 2024), he was a preservationist whose generous donations and keen understanding of Charleston’s history and architectural gems helped shape what the Holy City looks and feels like today."
A patron of the arts, Patti was known for her love of gardening. She was a founder of the Lowcountry Garden Club and Charleston Horticultural Society.
In 1977, Gian Carlo Menotti, founder and artistic director of Spoleto, asked the couple if they would open their Church Street home next to the Dock Street Theater to chamber musicians after performances. For nearly 20 years, the McGees hosted musicians including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist and conductor Joshua Bell, and famed playwright Tennessee Williams. Patti served on the Spoleto board, and in 2017, she and Peter received the Mary Ramsay Civic Award.
Born April 6, 1929, Peter grew up at 4 King St. and attended local grade schools. He received his B.A. in 1950 and L.L.B. in 1952 from Washington & Lee University, where he was a Sigma Nu and awarded the Algernon Sidney Sullivan Award. He joined the US Navy and served as a Lt. J.G. aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS WASP from 1953-55.
Admitted to the S.C. Bar in 1956, Peter first practiced law with Moore & Mouzon, before becoming a partner in Moore, Mouzon & McGee. In 1970, Peter and his childhood friend Ben Moore joined Henry Buist and Augustin Smythe to form Buist, Moore, Smythe & McGee, PA. He remained active with the S.C. Bar, receiving its DuRant Distinguished Public Service Award in 2003.
He served two terms in the S.C. House of Representatives beginning in 1962, where he was First Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee from 1966 to 1968. He served on Charleston City Council from 1971 to 1975.
Peter was passionate about his work with Historic Charleston Foundation, first as Legal Counsel, then on the Board of Trustees, and as Board President from 1977 to 1980. He helped the city work through gritty details of preservation issues such as height ordinances. Peter was recognized with HCF's highest honor, the Frances R. Edmunds Award, in 2007. The Joseph H. “Peter” McGee Award was established by the foundation in 2023 in his honor to recognize excellence in advocacy, community preservation, and planning.
Yet HCF was just one of Peter's leadership roles. He served as Vice-Chair of the South Carolina Tri-centennial Commission from 1966 to 1971, leading efforts to create Charles Towne Landing as a historic site. He also helped facilitate the National Trust for Historic Preservation's acquisition and preservation of Drayton Hall.
Peter volunteered for boards and nonprofits throughout his life, including Ashley Hall, Charleston Commission on Arts & History, Drayton Hall, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston Library Society, Coastal Community Foundation of SC, Charleston Horticultural Society, and South Carolina Historical Society. He served on the Evening Post Publishing Company’s Board of Directors for 20 years. In 2020, he recieved South Carolina's highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto.
Patti was born Feb. 21, 1935, and grew up in Marion, SC. She earned a B.A. in history from Converse College, then interviewed for teaching positions in Washington, D.C., and Charleston. She turned down a higher paying job in Washington because she wanted to live in Charleston, and that, she often said, was the smartest decision of her life.
Patti served on the Women's Council of the Gibbes Museum of Art, and as its president in 1971. She was a member of Junior League of Charleston and served as president in 1972. She also worked with the Charleston Arts and History Commission and the South Carolina Historical Society, and served as the South Carolina Advisor to The National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Patti helped found the Lowcountry Garden Club in 1988. In 1989, Frank Cabot invited her to join the advisory board and then the board of directors for a new national nonprofit, the Garden Conservancy. Patti's knowledge of Southern garden history was instrumental to the Conservancy's early efforts. She served until 2015 when she was named Director Emerita. She was involved with the Southern Garden History Society and, in 2012, was named by the Garden Club of America as an Honorary Member for her efforts to advance horticulture.
She and Peter were founding members of the Charleston Horticultural Society in 2000, where she served on the board until 2007. Patti was awarded the Charleston Horticulture Society 1830 Award in 2009.
After moving from Church Street, the McGees lived for many years in the Kohne-Lesllie House, 72 Anson Street, c. 1846, one of the properties preserved through HCF's Revolving Fund of the 1960s. In 2015, Peter and Patti retired to Sullivan's Island, where Patti passed away on Nov. 11, 2022, at the age of 87, and Peter on April 26, 2024, at the age of 95. Up until his death, Peter and his daughters were still working hard to make Charleston more beautiful by spearheading renovation of downtown's Wragg Square.
The McGees were married for 62 years and had two daughters, both of whom also became philanthropic and community leaders.
I worked with the McGees during my time at Historic Charleston Foundation and can attest that all the accolades they garnered were most deserved. He was a heck of a smart, passionate guy, and a great copyeditor, as I discovered when I was doing some freelance writing for one of Patti's garden projects. They had a huge impact on Charleston's preservation and culture during the last half of the 20th century and into the 21st. It was a privilege to work with them both.
