Background and career
Thomas Jonathan Jackson Ravenel (born August 11, 1962) is an American politician and reality television star. He is the son of former representative Arthur Ravenel Jr. from South Carolina. He starred for five seasons on the Bravo reality-television series Southern Charm, was state treasurer for six months, was an Independent candidate for the United States Senate in the 2014 election in South Carolina, and a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in the 2004 primary election. He is also a member of the French Huguenot Church in Charleston.
Prior to running for office, Ravenel founded the Ravenel Development Corporation, a commercial real estate company. Ravenel ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004, seeking the seat left open when Fritz Hollings retired. He came in third in the Republican primary election. After Ravenel endorsed Republican Jim DeMint, DeMint went on to win the Republican runoff and the general election. Subsequently, Ravenel was fined over $19,000 by the Federal Election Commission for improperly filing the required forms for the election. Ravenel ran for South Carolina Treasurer in 2006, defeating nine-term state treasurer Democrat Grady Patterson in the 2006 general election. Ravenel endorsed Ron Paul in the 2012 Republican primaries. Ravenel was previously in the cast of Bravo’s Southern Charm. He lived at Brookland Plantation, an estate he purchased in 2006, until he sold it in 2021.
Ravenel graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) in 1985. He later received an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina in 1991. His M.B.A. studies were focused on finance and real estate.
In June 2007, Ravenel was indicted on federal cocaine distribution charges by US Attorney Reginald Lloyd. The filed charges allege that Ravenel purchased less than 500 grams of cocaine through an intermediary in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2005, prior to his election as treasurer but after his abortive entry in the 2004 Senate race. Governor Mark Sanford suspended Ravenel from his duties as state treasurer upon learning of the charges, and appointed Columbia attorney Ken Wingate to replace Ravenel on an interim basis. Meanwhile, Ravenel decided to enter a rehabilitation facility, according to prosecutors. Ravenel had also been volunteering for the Rudolph Giuliani presidential campaign, serving as his South Carolina state chairman. Ravenel resigned from that post after the indictment, according to Giuliani campaign officials. The campaign subsequently replaced Ravenel with Barry Winn, who was co-chair of South Carolina finance committee. On July 24, 2007 Ravenel resigned as Treasurer. The South Carolina General Assembly elected state Rep. Converse Chellis to serve out the remainder of his term. Ravenel underwent a rehabilitation program in Arizona, and then returned to plead guilty to "conspiring to buy and distribute less than 100 grams of cocaine" in September 2007.
On March 14, 2008, Thomas Ravenel was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for drug charges against him but was not immediately ordered to report to begin his sentence.
On July 14, 2014, Thomas Ravenel submitted more than 17,000 signatures, officially placing him on the ballot as an independent candidate against incumbent senator Lindsey Graham. He finished in third place, garnering 3.9% of the vote.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
