William Shepard Rose Jr., the father of Southern Charm star Shep Rose, served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice under President Ronald Reagan. His nomination was announced on September 29, 1987, succeeding Roger Milton Olsen, according to the American Presidency Project. Shep's mother, Frances Hobbs Rose, is a homemaker from a wealthy Chicago family. The couple raised Shep and his two siblings, Katherine and Whitaker, on Sullivan's Island and in Sea Pines, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Shep Rose's Parents: A Legal Dynasty
William Shepard Rose Jr., nicknamed Rip by his nanny because of his sleeping habits, attended the University of the South for his Bachelor of Arts, then earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1973 and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University Law Centre in 1976. After his DOJ service, he became an 'Of Counsel' attorney at Burr & Forman LLP in South Carolina. Shep described his father as a kind man in a 2019 interview with Bravo's The Daily Dish: 'He’s never really raised his voice at me, which maybe is a problem. Maybe he should have a couple of times… My mom did all the heavy lifting of raising the children; I’ll say that. And I don’t think my dad would dispute that.'
Frances Rose, born Frances Hobbs in Chicago, is the daughter of the late Judge Truman McGill Hobbs Sr., a federal judge appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. She grew up in Lake Forest, an affluent suburb on Lake Michigan. According to Shep, his maternal family has ties to the early railroad industry in Chicago. Shep credits both parents for instilling his values, saying in the same Bravo interview: 'I’m just lucky. I’m super lucky. I’ve got two parents; that I mean, I’m certainly a piece of work, but I know right from wrong.'
The Rose Siblings: Following in Father's Footsteps
Shep Rose, born William Shepard Rose III on September 27, 1979, in Cincinnati, Ohio, is 46 years old as of July 2026. He stands 6'4" with blue eyes and sandy blonde hair, and has an estimated net worth of $5 million from his television career and entrepreneurship. Unlike Shep, his siblings chose law. His older sister, Katherine Rose Trotter, was born in 1977 and is 49. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1999 and a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law in 2005. She practices banking law, foreclosure, loan servicing, finance, litigation, and bankruptcy in Charlotte, North Carolina.
His younger brother, Whitaker Boykin Rose, is an attorney and partner at Rosenwood, Rose & Litwak, PLLC, focusing on construction litigation, administrative law, and business litigation. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2006 and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2011. Before that, he served as a law clerk in the 14th Judicial Circuit of South Carolina Solicitor's Office. Shep noted in the Bravo interview: 'My dad is a lawyer, and my sister's a lawyer. My brother's a lawyer. My grandfather's a federal judge. My uncle's a judge. All my cousins are lawyers.'
Family Ties to American History
The Rose family boasts connections to notable American figures. Shep's great-great-aunt, Mary Chestnut, kept a journal during the Civil War and was featured in a PBS Civil War documentary. Another great-aunt, Edith Cummings, became the first female athlete to appear on the cover of TIME magazine in 1924. Additionally, his great-aunt, Jordan Baker, inspired the character of the same name in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Through his paternal grandmother, Meta Cantey Boykin, Shep is related to the Boykin family of Boykin, South Carolina. Meta was a licensed pilot and lifetime member of various clubs and societies; she died in 2011. His paternal grandfather, William Shepard Rose Sr., served in the U.S. Army in World War II and later worked at Armco Steel, becoming president of Armco International in 1971; he died in 2004.
Shep's maternal grandfather, Judge Truman McGill Hobbs Sr., attended the University of North Carolina and earned a law degree from Yale Law School. He served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black before being appointed to the federal bench by President Jimmy Carter. Shep's maternal grandmother, Joyce Cummings Hobbs, was from a family with ties to the Chicago railroad industry. The family's legal tradition is deeply rooted, with multiple generations of judges and attorneys shaping Shep's upbringing.
Despite his reality television fame, Shep remains close to his family. He has described his relationship with his parents and siblings as close-knit, though his siblings have not appeared as regular cast members on Southern Charm. Their parents continue to support their children's diverse careers, from law to entertainment.
