Julius B. “Bubba” Ness was born February 27, 1916, in Manning, South Carolina, to Morris and Rae Levy Ness. He married Katherine Rhoad of Bamberg with whom he had two children, Gail Ness Richardson and Richard Ness.
Justice Ness received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina in 1938 and his law degree in 1940. He practiced law in Bamberg with Senator J. Carl Kearse from 1940 until 1958, except from 1941 to 1945 when he served with distinction as an Army Captain.
From 1954 to 1956, he served as a State Highway Commissioner; then as a State senator from 1956 until his 1958 election as Resident Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit. In 1974, he was elevated to the South Carolina Supreme Court, and was elected Chief Justice in 1985. He served with honor until his 1988 retirement, when he returned to practice law with his son in Bamberg, and with his son-in-law in Barnwell.
Chief Justice Ness will be remembered for his devotion to legal education and teaching; his love of family, state, and country; and, especially, his unwavering loyalty to his friends.
Portrait photo created in 1981.
Located in the Historical Courtroom, 135.