The Hon. William P. Keesley is a judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of South Carolina. He was elected to the bench by the South Carolina General Assembly on May 8, 1991, filling a seat vacated by the Hon. Hubert Long.
The 11th Judicial Circuit encompasses McCormick County, Edgefield County, Saluda County, and Lexington County.
Keesley earned a bachelor’s degree from Wofford College in 1975. He then completed a J.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1978.
After graduating from law school, Keesley entered into private practice in Edgefield County. He worked in that capacity until his election to the bench, supplementing his practice with service as a public defender in Edgefield, McCormick, and Saluda Counties (1983 to 1987), an assistant solicitor for the 11th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office (1987 to 1988), and a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives (1989 to 1991).
Keesley was born in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in Edgefield, South Carolina, where he attended Strom Thurmond High School.