Judge McElhannon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, into a military family.  He moved to Anderson, South Carolina, as a young child and considers himself to be a native of Anderson.  He graduated from T. L. Hannah High School in 1980.  He obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Presbyterian College in 1984 and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1988.

After law school he began his practice in Beaufort, South Carolina, as an associate at Dowling, Sanders, Dukes, Svalina and Williams.  He returned to Anderson in 1991 where he opened his solo practice.  In 2000 he became an Assistant Solicitor for the Tenth Judicial Circuit handling all juvenile cases in Family Court.  He held the title of Director of Juvenile Services for the Tenth Judicial Circuit until 2005.  He was an executive member of the Tenth Judicial Circuit’s Governor’s Youth Council.  He served on the Advisory Council for the Anderson School District Five Family Center.  He was also a founding member of the Anderson County Juvenile Drug/Intervention Court. 

In 2001 he was given the Ernest F. Hollings Award for Excellence in state prosecution in Family Court.

Judge McElhannon has spoken at several juvenile justice seminars throughout the years as well as speaking to public school classrooms. 

He returned to private practice in 2009 where he remained until 2015 when he became a litigation attorney and managing attorney for the Department of Social Services for Anderson and Oconee Counties.  In 2017 he returned to the Tenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office until his election as Family Court Judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit in February, 2020.

Judge McElhannon and his wife are the proud parents of a daughter and two grandsons.