South Carolina H 5050: Rev. Dr. Elijah Washington-sympathy

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5050 Text of Previous Version (Jan. 29, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5050

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A house RESOLUTION

TO EXPRESS THE 
PROFOUND SORROW OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES UPON THE PASSING 
OF REVEREND DR. ELIJAH WASHINGTON SR. OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, THE FIRST AFRICAN 
AMERICAN BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL CHIEF OF STAFF AND FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN 
OB/GYN IN THE LOWCOUNTRY, TO HONOR HIS COMMITMENT TO HEALTH AND FAITH, AND TO EXTEND 
DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS LOVING FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.

Whereas, the South 
Carolina House of Representatives was saddened to learn of the death of Reverend 
Dr. Elijah Washington Sr. at the age of eighty-three on August 15, 2025. Born 
in Sheldon on March 25, 1942, he was the son of the late Paul and Maria 
Washington and received his early education from Sheldon and Dale Elementary 
schools. He graduated from Robert Smalls High School in Beaufort and earned a 
bachelor's degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, a Doctor of 
Medicine from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, and a Doctor of 
Ministry from Bethany Theological Seminary in Dothan, Alabama; and

Whereas, after serving 
honorably in the United States Navy, he was discharged with a permanent rank of 
Lieutenant Commander. His career with Beaufort Jasper Comprehensive Health 
Services (BJCHS), Inc., began in March 1971, and in July the same year, he was granted 
leave to pursue independent study of sickle cell anemia and further his medical 
education. He received specialty training at the College of Medicine and 
Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey; and

Whereas, because of the 
services Dr. Washington rendered, BJCHS has named the period of March 1971 
through July 1983 as "The Elijah Washington Era," which is one of the most 
notable segments of its rich history. He was the only OB/GYN working with BJCHS 
from 1975 to 1983. During his extensive career with BJCHS, he also held the 
position of medical director. He opened a private OB/GYN practice from July 
1983 to December 1995, which became part of the BJCHS family in January 1996; 
thus, he started his career and ended his practice with BJCHS; and

Whereas, Dr. Washington 
joined the medical staff at Beaufort Memorial Hospital in 1971. He served as 
chief of staff and chair of the Department of OB/GYN, the first African 
American chief of staff and the first African American OB/GYN in the 
Lowcountry. He was named Physician of the Year by the South Carolina Primary 
Care Association in 1998. He was honored with the Beaufort Memorial Hospital 
Distinguished Physician award in 2005, an award that recognizes physicians 
whose service and leadership bring honor to their profession, Beaufort Memorial 
Hospital, and the community; and

Whereas, Dr. Washington 
was so well respected that the Sheldon Health Center was renamed the Elijah 
Washington Medical Center in his honor in 1980. He was a member of such 
professional organizations as the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 
S.C. OB/GYN Society, S.C. Medical Association, Southern Medical Association, 
National Medical Association, and American Medical Association. He was a fellow 
in the American College of OB/GYN. He coauthored several articles for the Journal 
of Medical Society of New Jersey and Obstetrics and Gynecology; and

Whereas, Reverend 
Washington, pastor emeritus of the First African Baptist Church of St. Helena 
Island, was a member of Old Ashley Baptist Association and Beaufort County 
Ministerial Alliance. He was Camp 21 commander of the Sons of the Union 
Veterans of the Civil War and a member of Grand Army of the Republic Hall and 
of Omega Alpha Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; and

Whereas, he and his 
beloved wife, Joyce E. Brown Washington, were married for thirty-three years. He 
reared six fine children: the late Titus Washington and Ayesha Fatima 
Washington, Franz Vergil Washington, Ahmad Shariyf Washington, Elijah 
Washington Jr., and Jordan Ethan Washington. His children blessed him with the 
affection of loving grandchildren: Titus Wesley Washington, Hasheem Anwar 
Washington, Jalen Samuel Washington, and Kennedy Rose-Marie Washington. Ivy M. 
Carter, his cherished stepdaughter, added to that blessing with a step-granddaughter, 
JaeLynn Carter; and

Whereas, the South 
Carolina House of Representatives is grateful for the life and legacy of Elijah 
Washington and for the example of service and devotion he set for all who knew 
him. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the 
South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express their 
profound sorrow upon the passing of Reverend Dr. Elijah Washington Sr. of 
Beaufort County, the first Af