SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Honorable Judge Henry F. Floyd ’70, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, will be the guest speaker for Wofford College’s opening convocation, set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, in Leonard Auditorium in Main Building. He also will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the ceremony.

The program is free and open to the public.

Opening convocation marks the beginning of the new academic year at Wofford. Classes begin on Monday, Sept. 4.

The event will be webcast live; a link will be provided on Wofford’s home page (www.wofford.edu) and social media accounts on Sept. 5. It also will be available for viewing later on Wofford’s YouTube channel.

Floyd, a native of Brevard, N.C., was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals in October 2011 by President Barack Obama. He was first appointed to the federal judiciary by President George W. Bush in September 2003 as a judge for the U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina, to a seat vacated by Dennis W. Shedd, a 1975 graduate of Wofford. In both cases, Floyd was confirmed by enormous majorities in the U.S. Senate.

Floyd served on the Committee on Judicial Resources Conference of the United States from 2006 to 2012. He has authored nearly 90 published opinions for the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and numerous unpublished opinions. He also is co-author of the original criminal bench book for South Carolina Circuit Judges and has been a presenter at a variety of legal seminars and conferences.

In the spring 2017 semester, Floyd co-taught constitutional law at Wofford with Dr. David Alvis, associate professor of government and international affairs.

Floyd received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Wofford in 1970. In May 1973, he received a J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

From 1972 to 1978, he served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

Floyd practiced law in Pickens, S.C., for 18 years. In addition to maintaining a general practice, he was attorney for Pickens County from 1982 to 1992 and served on the predecessor to the Commission of Lawyer Conduct. In May 1992, he was elected as a South Carolina circuit court judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit, where he served until September 2003. While on the state bench, he was a member of the Advisory Committee on Standards of Judicial Conduct and on the Commission on Judicial Conduct.