Renowned trial lawyer Joseph H. “Peter” McGee, widely considered a visionary leader, was a preservationist whose generous donations and keen understanding of Charleston’s history and architectural gems helped shape what the Holy City looks and feels like today. He died April 26, 2024, at age 95.
McGee was still working hard to make Charleston more beautiful and comfortable. He and his family, notably daughters Evie McGee Colbert (a television producer and wife of late night talk show host Stephen Colbert) and Madeleine McGee, helped spearhead the renovation of downtown's Wragg Square. The McGee and Colbert families donated $100,000 for the work as well as committed additional money to maintain the park.
The renewed park on Meeting Street commemorated McGee and his late wife, Evelyn "Patti" McGee, who helped found the Lowcountry Garden Club and the Charleston Horticultural Society.
In 2020, Peter McGee was honored with the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor.
Retired Charleston lawyer and preservationist Joseph "Peter" McGee holds the Order of the Palmetto award given him Thursday in a surprise event at his Sullivan's Island home. Robert Behre/Staff
A Post and Courier opinion piece paid tribute to him that year, saying: “Mr. McGee began helping the Historic Charleston Foundation as a young lawyer, advising on updates to the city’s historic zoning code, including expanded historic district boundaries, new review of planned demolitions and height limits. Their work together ultimately led to the nation’s first historic preservation plan in 1974.”
He found a perfect match in his wife, who also loved the arts. During the annual Spoleto Festival USA, she would host musicians and audience members at the McGee home near Dock Street Theatre. The McGees greeted world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist and conductor Joshua Bell, even hosting legends like famed playwright Tennessee Williams.
A key force on the Historic Charleston Foundation, Peter McGee gave time as well as donations to the city. He served for years on an advisory council for Drayton Hall, eventually becoming chairman.
A trustee with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, he helped the city through the gritty details of preservation like height ordinances. He met with U.S. District Judge Solomon "Sol" Blatt Jr. in the 1980s to work out the details of the then-controversial expansion plans for the federal courthouse at the corner of Broad and Meeting streets.
They sketched out a plan on the back of a paper napkin while eating at a Columbia restaurant, The Post and Courier reported. That sketch included the creation of a park in the front of the building, a small urban haven that won over many critics.
The Navy veteran also served three terms in the S.C. House and a term on Charleston City Council.
John Barnwell, retired CEO of Evening Post Industries, remember McGee with respect and affection.
“Peter was a true gift to all who knew him as well as to the city and state he served so well and loved so dearly," Barnwell said. "He had a sharp and curious intellect, a wonderful sense of humor and a broad range of interests. He had countless friends, and I was very fortunate to have been one.”
J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
