John R. Kuhn

John Robert Kuhn (born July 31, 1962) is an American author and former politician. He served as a member of the South Carolina Senate from 2001 to 2003, representing the 43rd District. In 2025, he published I Tell It Like It Is!, the first volume of an autobiographical trilogy.

Early life and education John Robert Kuhn was born on July 31, 1962, in El Centro, California, in the Imperial Valley. The Kuhn family had farmed in the Imperial Valley since the early 1900s.

Kuhn attended Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, from 1976 to 1980, where he served on the staff of the school newspaper, The Culver Vedette.

In the late 1980s, Kuhn and his brother were among the first growers in the Imperial Valley to compress and export hay directly to dairy farms in Japan.

2013 US House special election

In 2013, Kuhn ran for the South Carolina's 1st congressional district in a special election. The victor would fill the US House seat vacated by Tim Scott, who was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to fill the vacated seat of Jim DeMint. Kuhn was defeated in the Republican primary.

Community service Kuhn served on the Foreign Affairs Forum of Charleston, the South Carolina State Ethics Commission, and the South Carolina Bar Association.

Party leadership Kuhn briefly served as Chair of the Charleston County Republican Party - he was elected in April 2019 and stepped down in January 2020.

Controversies On March 14, 2024, Kuhn was arrested following a March 7 hit-and-run traffic incident in Charleston involving another vehicle and a pedestrian. He was charged with hit-and-run resulting in property damage, but was not charged in connection with the pedestrian. He was released on a personal recognizance bond. Prosecutors in Horry County dismissed the case on August 9, 2024. A municipal judge dismissed the case in March 2025 after Kuhn entered a pretrial intervention program.