James Hardin Obituary

Dr. James Neal Hardin, Jr.

March 16, 2026

Columbia, South Carolina - Dr. James Neal Hardin, Jr. (1939-2026) of Columbia, passed away on Monday, March 16, 2026. He is survived by his wife of 42 years Anne Farr Hardin, brother George Timothy Hardin (Mary), brother-in-law Allan Farr (Marina), and several nieces and nephews. Jim was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and lived in Greeneville, Tennessee, until enrolling in undergraduate school at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

He had a flair for languages and earned a B.A. from Washington and Lee University in 1960 with a major in German, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He also studied at the Freie Universität in Berlin in 1960 as a Fulbright Scholar. He went on to study at the University North Carolina at Chapel Hill with the support of a Woodrow Wilson Scholarship, where he earned an M.A. 1964 and a Ph.D. in 1967. His major field of study was German Literature, with minors in Linguistics and Comparative Literature.

Dr. Hardin served in the U.S. Army Field Artillery from 1967 to 1969 and as head of Army Language School at Fort Bragg, NC, rising to the rank of Captain.

Following his military service, Dr. Hardin joined the University of South Carolina as an assistant professor in 1969, with promotions to associate professor in 1972 and full professor in 1976. His areas of specialization include German 17th-century literature and the Age of Goethe, editorial and bibliographical techniques, and preparation of historical-critical edition. He was author of numerous books, and edited 18 volumes of the Dictionary of Literary Biography on German and Austrian writers. He also served many terms on the USC Press Committee and the Library Committee.

Dr. Hardin's awards include the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Association of Honors Students in 1977, the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung Society, as well as The Federal Republic of German Friendship Award in 2003. He established the German-specific academic press Camden House in 1982, providing many scholars an opportunity to publish their work in that area. He retired as primary editor in 1999; the company is now a subsidiary of Boydell & Brewer (Rochester, NY), overseen by Dr. Hardin's partner, James Walker.

After his retirement from USC (Distinguished Professor Emeritus) in 1999, he and Anne moved to Spring Island, SC (1999-2007) and later to Paris Mountain in Greenville, SC (2007-2024). He spent his remaining years at the Wildewood Downs Retirement Community in Columbia.

A graveside service with military honors will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Fort Jackson National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the B22770 Benjamin Franklin V Graduate English Endowed Fellowship Fund, USC Office of Gift Planning, 1600 Hampton Street, Suite 736, Columbia, SC 29208.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.