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Edward R. "Eddie" Tallon was born to Virginia and Ray Tallon in Baltimore, MD in 1944.  At the time, Eddie's father was serving in the Army in the South Pacific.

After the war, the family returned to Florence, South Carolina, where Ray Tallon pursued a career with the Florence County Sheriff's Department.   Eddie grew up and graduated from McClenaghan High School in 1962.  Eddie's father   is deceased, but his mother Virginia still lives in Florence.

Virginia and Ray Tallon with their young family.
Eddie is the oldest child.

After high school, Eddie served four years (1963-1967) in the Air Force before returning to South Carolina to continue his education at Spartanburg Methodist College.    He received an Honorable Discharge from the Air Force.  Being at Spartanburg Methodist was his first exposure to the Upstate, and he fell in love with the area.  Eddie went on to graduate from Spartanburg Methodist College in 1970 and from Limestone College in 1971.  Tallon worked part-time at SLED during college, and as a senior at Limestone College, Eddie practice taught in Gaffney.

In 1971, Eddie married the former Linda Roberts of King's Mountain, NC.  Linda is a former public school teacher.  The Tallons are members of Morningside Baptist Church. 

They have two adult children:  Emily (34), who is a public school special education teacher, and Ray (31), who is a self-employed small businessman and owner of Mosquito Free Yards.  Linda's mother, Louise Roberts, 95, shares the Tallons' home with them.

(l to r) Eddie Tallon, Linda Tallon, Louise Roberts,
Emily Tallon and Ray Tallon

Eddie's daughter, Emily, is a special education teacher
in the Spartanburg public school system.

Experience:

Eddie Tallon began his law enforcement career with the Florence County Sheriff's Office where he created the first narcotics division in the county and served as Chief of Narcotics Enforcement until 1974.  He was named Optimist Club Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for 1972.

Eddie's next stop in law enforcement was the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) where he served for 17 years.  He rose to the rank of Lieutenant, Supervisory Agent.  He supervised 22 agents in the investigations of a myriad of criminal cases, and he supervised the Executive Protection Detail for the Lt. Governor and other dignitaries.

Eddie served as the Executive Director of South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers' Association from 1978 to 1981.  In addition to managing this 4000-member professional association, he served as spokesperson for law enforcement to the South Carolina General Assembly.  He worked with committees of the General Assembly to pass the first drug forfeiture laws in South Carolina.  As the law enforcement voice to the General Assembly, Tallon gained valuable nuts-and-bolts experience that would pay off well in providing effective representation for House District 33.

From the public sector, Tallon moved seamlessly into the private sector serving as the Vice President of Internal Audits and Loss Prevention for the Ryan's Restaurant Group from 1991 to 2006.

During his tenure at Ryan's Restaurant Group, he created a loss prevention department for this public company with over 23,000 employees.   He developed and implemented programs that led to the reduction of robberies and burglaries by 95% and reduced cash shortages by 37% over a period of only three years.   He implemented numerous other programs concerning workplace violence, crisis management, state and federal compliance background checks and asset management.

Mr. Tallon maintains his status as a Certified Fraud Examiner.  He is a Board member and past-President of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association, President of the National Food Service Security Council, a member of the Certified Fraud Examiners Association, and a Life Member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.  He is also a member of ASIS International, Infragard, and the South Carolina Hospitality Association.    Eddie is a former member of the Lions Club and was honored as Lion of the Year in 1981.

Eddie Tallon's extensive experience in policies and procedures in both the public and private sectors, as well as his experience in supervision and leadership, make him the right person for the job of representing House District 33.  Eddie has the experience and the expertise to make things happen for our district.

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Quick Facts:

Born: 1944 in Baltimore, MD

Hometown: Florence, SC

Education: McClenaghan HS (1962 Grad)
Spartanburg Methodist College (1970 Grad)
Limestone College  Grad. 1971)

Spouse:   Linda Roberts Tallon

Children: Emily (34) and Ray (31)

Military Service: Air Force 1963-1967

Church Affiliation:  Morningside Baptist Church

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