Addison „Joe” Graves Wilson, born in Charleston, South Carolina, is a longtime public servant and attorney. He earned degrees from Washington & Lee University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. A founding partner of the West Columbia law firm Kirkland, Wilson, Moore, Taylor & Thomas, Joe also served on the staffs of Senator Strom Thurmond and Congressman Floyd Spence, and later as Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy under Secretary Jim Edwards.

Joe served 31 years in the U.S. Army Reserves and South Carolina Army National Guard, retiring as a Colonel in 2003. He spent 17 years in the South Carolina State Senate before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2001, where he currently represents South Carolina’s 2nd District.

He serves on the House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Education & Workforce Committees and chairs the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Joe also leads or co-chairs numerous congressional caucuses, particularly in national security and international relations.

Married to Roxanne, they have four sons-all military veterans and Eagle Scouts—and nine grandchildren. Their eldest son, Alan, is South Carolina’s Attorney General.