
SERVICE AND HONORS
- Legislator of the Year for the Fraternal Order of Police, 2012
- Legislator of the Year for the S.C. Sheriff’s Association, 2013
- Legislator of the Year for the National Association of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 2013 and 2014
- Inductee, Society of the Maltese Cross, the highest honor from the S.C. Firefighters Association, 2014
- Board member and former president, South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association
- Former president, National Food Service Security Council
- Member, The American Legion
- Member, Vietnam Veterans Association
- Former commissioner, The Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies
- Member, Certified Fraud Examiners Association
- Life member, International Association of Chiefs of Police
- Member, ASIS International
- Member, InfraGard
- Member, Spartanburg Executive Sertoma Club
- Former member, Lion of the Year 1981, Spartanburg Lions Club
Rep. Eddie Tallon was elected to the S.C. House in 2010 and quickly established himself as a leader in the House Republican Caucus — being appointed Chief Majority Whip in 2014 and reappointed in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, his peers elected Tallon Assistant Majority Leader for the 122nd session of the General Assembly (2017-2018). He is a respected voice on law enforcement and public safety issues. Tallon currently serves on the House Judiciary Committee and Legislative Oversight Committee, in addition to serving as chairman of the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
Tallon served four years (1963-1967) in the U.S. Air Force and received an Honorable Discharge before returning to South Carolina to continue his education at Spartanburg Methodist College. In the Air Force, Tallon served in the 1st Air Commando Wing and served in the U.S. and Southeast Asia, for which he was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal. Tallon graduated from Spartanburg Methodist College in 1970 and from Limestone College in 1971.
Tallon met Linda Roberts, from Kings Mountain, N.C., while both were at Limestone, and the couple has been married for more than 46 years. Linda was a public school teacher until they started a family, and they are the proud parents of two adult children, both of whom are Clemson University graduates.
After more than 20 years in law enforcement, Tallon retired and later worked at Ryan’s Restaurant Group for 15 years, last serving as Vice President of Internal Audit and Loss Prevention. Currently, Tallon serves as President of The Tallon Group, Inc.
Among his legislative accomplishments, Tallon sponsored legislation that created the “Blue Alert Program” for disseminating information to assist in the capture of a suspect who kills, seriously injures or abducts a law enforcement officer. Tallon also sponsored legislation that required the reporting of certain mental health issues to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to prevent the purchase of firearms by those deemed mentally defective.