Reflections on Georgia Politics began in the fall of 2006 at Young Harris College, as a lecture and discussion program hosted by Georgia political veteran Bob Short. In late 2007, the Richard B. Russell Library began producing the program as an oral history video series to further illuminate and personalize the tectonic shifts that occurred in Georgia politics in the late twentieth century: desegregation and the Civil Rights Movement, the impact of Baker v. Carr, and Georgia’s evolution as a two-party state. Former governors, constitutional officers, congressmen and senators, state legislators, political organizers, and journalists have strengthened the broad net cast by Reflections on Georgia Politics. At 118 programs and counting, with over 120 hours of video footage and thousands of pages of transcripts (added as completed), Reflections on Georgia Politics represents a tremendous historical resource. The Russell Library serves as the repository for the series, making decades of political history, strategy, and stories of back-room-politics accessible to the public.

Oral history at the Russell Library has grown dramatically over the last several years. As history in the first person, full of tone and expression, oral history interviews capture wonderfully rich, diverse, and unique voices. Working together on the Reflections on Georgia Politics series, Bob Short, the Russell Library oral history staff and Young Harris College have created valuable research and educational resources and hope to continue their efforts.

Making oral history come to life in sound and vision is challenging - production, transcription, and preservation are involved, labor-intensive processes. To meet the growing number of requests and recommendations received for creating accessible oral histories, the program relies on donations. Reflections on Georgia Politics is supported substantially by private funding that allows for adequate staffing in the Russell Library’s Media and Oral History Unit, transcription services and travel, and upgrading equipment. Your support is deeply appreciated. For information on donating to the program, or suggesting people for interview, please contact the Media and Oral History unit at the Russell Library at 706-542-5782, or by email at russlib@uga.edu.

Reflections on Georgia Politics is a collaborative project of the Richard B. Russell Library at the University of Georgia and Young Harris College.

All rights reserved. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. 706-542-5782, or by email at russlib@uga.edu.

See Finding Aid for more detailed information.

INTERVIEWS

Anthony, Glenn Baker, Thurbert Banks, Peter Barnard, Doug Barnes, Marie Barnes, Roy Bell, Griffen Benfield, Stephanie Berry, George 1 Berry, George 2 Blackburn, Ben Blackmon, John Bolden, Willie Bowers, Mike Brooks, Tyrone Buck, Tom Campbell, Charles Carter III, James Chambliss, Saxby Clarke, Harold Clay, Chuck 1 Clay, Chuck 2 Cleland, Max Coleman, Terry Colwell, Carlton 1 Colwell, Carlton 2 Colwell, Carlton 3 Cowan, Joel Cox, Cathy Craddock, Fred Darden, George

Deal, Nathan Dixon, Harry Ebersole, Dan Foster, John Fowler, Wyche Gambrell, David Gillis, Hugh Gillis Jr., Jim Griffin, Sam Grimes, Millard Guthman, Richard Harris, Joe Harris, Reid Holmes, Bob Holmes, Eric Hooks, George Houck, Tom Howard, Pierre Huckaby, Hank Irvin, Tommy Isakson, Johnny Jenkins, Ed 1 Jenkins, Ed 2 Johnson, Ed Johnson, Leroy Jones, Milton Kidd, Jane 1 Kidd, Jane 2 King, Lonnie Lance, Bert Lee, Bill

Leonard, Earl Levitas, Elliott Lewis, Helen Mabry, Herb Martin, Jim Mason, Keith Massell, Sam Massey, Lewis Mathis, Dawson Mattingly, Matt McBee, Louise McDonald, Bubba 1 McDonald, Bubba 2 Miller, Shirley Miller, Zell Minter, Jim Mitchell, Erwin Mixon, Eunice Moore, Powell Morris, Aubrey Murphy, Harold Murphy, Reg Oliver, Mary Pettys, Dick Porter, Dubose Poston, McCracken Poythress, David Russell, Bruce Rowan, Bobby Rowland, J. Roy Sanders, Betty

Sanders, Carl 1 Sanders, Carl 2 Schaefer, Nancy Shipp, Bill Short, Bob 1 Short, Bob 2 Short, Bob 3 Short, Bob 4 Short, Bob 5 Smith, George T. Spinks, Ford Steinberg, Cathey Stuckey, Bill Summers, Mary Anne Tanenblatt, Eric Thompson, Fletcher Thurmond, Michael Towery, Matt Tysinger, James Underwood, Norman 1 Underwood, Norman 2 Vandiver, Betty 1 Vandiver, Betty 2 Vandiver, Betty 3 Wade, T. Rogers Walker, Larry Wheeler, Peter Wright, Cynthia Wrigley, Steve Young, Ned

Bob Short and Carlton Colwell on Lester Maddox, 2006 93 minutes ROGP 000-01 View Interview

Charles Robert “Bob” Short was born in Clayton, Georgia on April 17, 1932 and educated at Young Harris College, Georgia Southern University and the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. Upon discharge from the Air Force in 1956 he began his career as a sports writer for the Atlanta Journal, and then served in various capacities in the administrations of Georgia Governors Marvin Griffin, Ernest Vandiver, and Carl Sanders. Short coordinated the campaign of President Jimmy Carter when Carter ran for governor of Georgia in 1966, and then worked as press secretary for Carter's opponent in that race, Governor Lester Maddox, in 1967 and 1968. In 1968 he was appointed regional director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness -- the forerunner of FEMA-- by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Entering the private sector in the early 1970s, Short worked for Hoffman LaRoche and Hospital Corporation of America, and for his own firm, Investmart, Inc., a marketing consulting business. Short remained active politically, consulting on a limited scale and serving as special assistant to Governor and Senator Zell Miller and Senator Johnny Isakson. Retired to Blairsville, Georgia, Short wrote the only biography of Lester Maddox, Everything is Pickrick (Mercer University Press, 1999), which won for him the title "Author of the Year" from the Georgia Writers Association. In 2006 he began a lecture and discussion program at neighboring Young Harris College entitled Reflections on Georgia Politics, and then partnered with the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies to make Reflections an oral history series.

Carlton Colwell was born in Blairsville, Georgia on June 27, 1926. He worked for General Motors for twelve years, until Jim Gillis asked him to run for the Georgia Senate. Despite winning the primary, redistricting prohibited him from serving. In 1964, he ran a successful campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives. He represented several North Georgia mountain counties for thirty years. Colwell served on various committees, including Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Fiscal Affairs. He served as chairman of the State Institution and Property Committee, and oversaw the prison system in Georgia. Speaker Murphy appointed him to the constitutional revision commission, and he helped rewrite the Georgia Constitution. Upon leaving politics, numerous highways, prison facilities, and technical schools in North Georgia were funded by and named after Colwell.

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George Berry, 2006 34 minutes ROGP 000-02 View Interview

George J. Berry was born in Blairsville, Georgia on July 5, 1937. He attended Young Harris College. Upon discharge from the U.S. Army in 1962, he went to work in the finance department of the city of Atlanta. Berry was chosen to be the deputy chief administrative officer in Mayor Ivan Allen's administration. Mayor Sam Massell promoted him to chief administrative officer during Atlanta's critical transition from primarily white to mixed race leadership. Under Mayor Maynard Jackson, Berry was appointed commissioner of Aviation in 1978. There, he oversaw the development of terminals and runways in the Atlanta Airport. In 1983, Berry became the commissioner of Industry, Trade and Tourism for the state of Georgia. He remained in that position until 1990, when he ran an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor. He left politics, and became senior vice president of Cousins Properties, Inc., a successful property development firm in Atlanta. He retired in 2004, and remains on the boards of several business organizations.

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Zell Miller, 2006 34 minutes ROGP 000-03 View Interview

Zell Bryan Miller was born in Young Harris, Georgia on February 24, 1932. He attended Young Harris College, and then joined the Marines. Upon his discharge he attended the University of Georgia, receiving his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in history. Miller was elected Mayor of Young Harris, and served in 1959 and 1960. He became a professor at Young Harris College. He was elected for two terms to the Georgia State Senate. In both 1964 and 1966, he unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives. He was appointed chief of staff for Governor Lester Maddox in 1967. From 1975 to 1991, Miller held the office of lieutenant governor of Georgia, serving four terms under Governors George Busbee and Joe Frank Harris. In 1980, he unsuccessfully challenged Herman Talmadge for Talmadge’s Senate seat in the Democratic Party primary. Miller was elected governor of Georgia in 1990 on a campaign of term limits and public education. He was the keynote speaker at the 1994 Democratic National Convention. He founded the HOPE Scholarship, which used lottery funds to pay for student tuition to Georgia universities. Upon Senator Paul Coverdell’s death in 2000, Governor Roy Barnes appointed Miller to the U.S. Senate, and Miller campaigned successfully to keep the seat in the 2000 election. He took his position as a conservative Democrat, supporting many Republican policies. He supported the Iraq War, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act, and was a keynote speaker at the 2004 Republican National Convention. At the same time, he voted with the Democrats in supporting the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. In 2005, he retired from the U.S. Senate. Miller is the author of nine books.

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Bob Short, 2007-12-10 90 minutes ROGP 000-04 View Interview See also ROGP 000-05 Bob Short

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Bob Short, 2008-02-11 90 minutes ROGP 000-05 View Interview See also ROGP 000-04 Bob Short

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Pete Wheeler, 2007-04-01 47 minutes ROGP 000-06 View Interview

Pete Wheeler was born in Crawford, Georgia on October 19, 1922. He attended the University of Georgia, where he majored in education, and was called to active duty in the U.S. Army upon his graduation in 1943. He was discharged from the Army in 1946, and attended the John Marshall Law School in Atlanta at night, while working for the Federal Office of Price Administration. In 1949 he was named commissioner of Veterans Services in the Herman Talmadge administration, an office he has held for 14 terms under 11 governors. Wheeler was president of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs in 1964-1965, has served on the National Veterans Day Committee, and was chairman of the National World War II Memorial Advisory Board from 1994-2004.

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Bob Short on Three Governors Controversy, 1946, 2007 29 minutes ROGP 000-07 View Interview See also ROGP 000-04 and ROGP 000-05 Bob Short

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Bob Short on 1962 Gubernatorial Race, 2007 18 minutes ROGP 000-08 View Interview See also ROGP 000-04 and ROGP 000-05 Bob Short

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Carl Sanders and Norman Underwood on George Busbee 2007 18 minutes ROGP 000-010 View Interview See also ROGP 005 Carl Sanders and ROGP 029 Norman Underwood

Carl Edward Sanders was born in Augusta, Georgia on May 15, 1925. He attended the University of Georgia, where he accepted a football scholarship. In 1943, before he could finish his college education, he enlisted in the Air Force and trained as a B-17 pilot. After World War II he returned to the University, finishing three years of law school in two years and passing the bar in 1947. Sanders entered private practice in Atlanta and eventually started the law firm of Sanders, Thurmond, Hester and Jolles. In 1954, he made a successful bid for the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1956, he won a seat in the Georgia Senate. At the time, the seat rotated between Richmond, Glascock and Jefferson counties. Sanders was subsequently elected to the same seat by both Jefferson and Glascock counties due to his overwhelming popularity, becoming the only man to serve three consecutive terms in a multi-county district. In 1959, Governor Vandiver named Sanders floor leader of the senate. He went on to serve as president pro tempore of the senate from 1960 to 1962. Sanders took the next step in his political career by running for governor in 1962 against Marvin Griffin. With his positive campaign, Sanders emerged victorious, making him at 37 the youngest governor in the country at the time. Sanders could not succeed himself as governor and, therefore, retired back into private life in 1967. Instead of returning to Augusta, he and his family remained in Atlanta where he started a new law firm. On April 25, 1970, Sanders reemerged to announce for what would be his last attempt at public office. His campaign for governor, however, ended in defeat, with Jimmy Carter taking office. Sanders never ran for public office again, but worked for many other Democratic candidates such as Zell Miller, Andrew Young, and Sam Nunn. He also went on to serve as finance chairman for the Democratic Party of Georgia during George Busbee's term as governor. He is currently the chairman emeritus at the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP.

Norman Lee Underwood was born in Red Bud, Georgia on July 15, 1941. Active in 4-H, he received the Homelite Chainsaw Company Scholarship, which allowed him to attend George Washington University and intern for Senator Richard B. Russell. He returned to Georgia, and graduated with a degree in forestry in 1964, and a law degree in 1966. Upon graduation, he was hired by Carl Sanders’ new law firm, Troutman Sanders, LLP, becoming a partner in the firm in 1973. He managed George Busbee’s campaign for governor, and Underwood left his law practice to become Busbee’s executive secretary in 1975. He was appointed as a judge to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 1979. He resigned at the end of the year in order to run for U.S. Senate. The attempt was unsuccessful, as was his 1982 run for governor. He remained involved with Senator Zell Miller, who appointed him his chairman of the Judicial Selection Commission. He no longer sought public office, but returned to the law firm Troutman Sanders LLP, where he is a senior counsel. Underwood is a trustee of the Richard B. Russell Foundation.

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Bruce Russell and Earl Leonard on Richard B. Russell, Jr. 2006-08-3 86 minutes ROGP 001 View Interview

Robert Bruce Russell Sr. b. August 20, 1951, grew up in Winder, Georgia, graduating WBHS in 1969. A graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the US Army Transportation School, he finished the University of Georgia with a degree in education in 1975 and taught high school in Social Circle, Georgia and Gwinnett County High Schools from 1975-1978. In 1978 he graduated the Atlanta Law School was admitted to the Georgia bar. He first practiced law as an associate attorney with Sutton and English law firm in Rabun County and has been in private practice since 1980. He is past president of the Mountain Circuit Bar Association, was eight years attorney for Rabun County and was city judge for the city of Clayton Recorder’s Court for twelve years.

Earl T. Leonard, Jr. graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia in 1958. He earned his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1961, while at the same time teaching on the faculty of the School of Journalism. He then went on to serve as press secretary for Senator Richard B. Russell in Washington D.C. He was a founder of the Senate Press Secretaries Association, and served in the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Leonard was a member of several boards and foundations, including the University of Georgia Foundation and the Richard B. Russell Foundation. He was a chairman of the UGA Annual Fund and School of Law. In 1964, he joined the Coca-Cola Company, and retired as senior vice president for corporate affairs. Governor Sonny Perdue appointed him to the Governor’s Commission for a New Georgia. Leonard is a Terry Executive for the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.

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T. Rogers Wade on Herman Talmadge, 2006-09-07 91 minutes ROGP 002 View Interview

T. Rogers Wade served as chief of staff to Senator Herman Talmadge from 1973 to 1980 in Washington, D.C. He then returned to Georgia, and became vice president of Watkins Associated Industries. In 1985, he helped open the public affairs law firm of Edington, Wade and Associates. He retired as senior partner. He is a founding member of Leadership Georgia. Wade is active on many boards and foundations, including the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Richard B. Russell Foundation, and the Fanning Leadership Institute at the University of Georgia. He is chairman of the board in the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a free-market think-tank.

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Religion and Politics, 2006-09-14 101 minutes ROGP 003 View Interview

Source tapes, edited masters, and accompanying documentation of ROGP 003: Fred Craddock on Politics and Religion. Fred B. Craddock is the Bandy Distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament at Emory University, where his specialties concern the Bible and Homiletics. He received his undergraduate degree from Johnson Bible College, and is an ordained minister of the Disciples of Christ Christian Church in rural Tennessee. He is a much sought-after speaker, delivering lectures at Yale University, Claremont School of Theology, Vanderbilt University and others. He has written many books, commentaries and papers. He is also the director of the Craddock Center, a non-profit service group in rural Appalachia.

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Bill Shipp, 2006-09-28 94 minutes ROGP 004 View Interview

William "Bill" Shipp was born in Marietta, Georgia on August 16, 1933. He attended Emory University and the University of Georgia, where he was the managing editor of the Red and Black newspaper. In 1953, he wrote articles criticizing the decision by the Board of Regents and Governor Herman Talmadge to bar African-American Horace T. Ward from enrollment in UGA’s School of Law. The subsequent takeover of the paper by the Board of Regents led to Shipp's resignation. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956. In 1956, Shipp joined the Atlanta Constitution, where he would go on to cover such subjects as the civil rights movement, the space program and numerous political campaigns and leaders. Shipp broke the story of Jimmy Carter's plan to run for the presidency. In 1987, Shipp left the newspaper to start Word Merchants; the company produces the weekly newsletter, “Bill Shipp's Georgia,” which was the first serious political journal on the Internet. His columns appear in numerous publications, and he is a member of the Georgia Gang, a televised discussion of current political events. He has written two books, Murder at Broad River Bridge and The Ape-Slayer and Other Snapshots. He is currently retired from political print journalism.

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Carl Sanders, 2006-10-01 50 minutes ROGP 005 View Interview

Carl Edward Sanders was born in Augusta, Georgia on May 15, 1925. He attended the University of Georgia, where he accepted a football scholarship. In 1943, before he could finish his college education, he enlisted in the Air Force and trained as a B-17 pilot. After World War II he returned to the University, finishing three years of law school in two years and passing the bar in 1947. Sanders entered private practice in Atlanta and eventually started the law firm of Sanders, Thurmond, Hester and Jolles. In 1954, he made a successful bid for the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1956, he won a seat in the Georgia Senate. At the time, the seat rotated between Richmond, Glascock and Jefferson counties. Sanders was subsequently elected to the same seat by both Jefferson and Glascock counties due to his overwhelming popularity, becoming the only man to serve three consecutive terms in a multi-county district. In 1959, Governor Vandiver named Sanders floor leader of the senate. He went on to serve as president pro tempore of the senate from 1960 to 1962. Sanders took the next step in his political career by running for governor in 1962 against Marvin Griffin. With his positive campaign, Sanders emerged victorious, making him at 37 the youngest governor in the country at the time. Sanders could not succeed himself as governor and, therefore, retired back into private life in 1967. Instead of returning to Augusta, he and his family remained in Atlanta where he started a new law firm. On April 25, 1970, Sanders reemerged to announce for what would be his last attempt at public office. His campaign for governor, however, ended in defeat, with Jimmy Carter taking office. Sanders never ran for public office again, but worked for many other Democratic candidates such as Zell Miller, Andrew Young, and Sam Nunn. He also went on to serve as finance chairman for the Democratic Party of Georgia during George Busbee's term as governor. He is currently the chairman emeritus at the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP.

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Ed Jenkins, 2006-10-05 110 minutes ROGP 006 View Interview

Edgar Lanier "Ed" Jenkins was born in Young Harris, Georgia on January 4, 1933. From 1952 to 1955, he served in the Coast Guard. He attended both Young Harris College and Emory University, and graduated from the University of Georgia Law School in 1959. After graduation, he served as an administrative assistant to Congressman Phillip M. Landrum from 1959 to 1962. He practiced law in Jasper, Georgia, and served as an assistant United States attorney in Atlanta. He was elected to the U.S. Congress as a Democrat in 1976. While in congress, he was active in the Ways and Means Committee, passing and supporting bills involving taxes, trade and land and mountain preservation. He also served as chairman of the Textile Caucus and as a deputy whip in the House. After 16 years in congress, a large mountain tract in North Georgia was designated the "Ed Jenkins National Recreation Area." Jenkins was a member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and a partner in the firm of Winburn & Jenkins in Washington, D.C. He is retired.

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Joe Frank Harris, 2006-11-02 106 minutes ROGP 007 View Interview

Joe Frank Harris was born in Atco, Georgia on February 16, 1936. He graduated with a degree in business from the University of Georgia, where he was named an "Outstanding Business Alumnus." After graduation, he returned to Cartersville, Georgia to help run the family cement business, Harris Cement Products, Inc. In 1964, he ran and was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, where he served for 18 years. In 1974, he served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee. With the support of Speaker Tom Murphy, Harris was elected governor of Georgia in 1983. He served two consecutive terms, where he won positive reviews for his improvements in education and the economy. He implemented the Quality Basic Education Act and increased the number of libraries in Georgia. He also oversaw the building of the Georgia Dome, which helped bring the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta. Upon leaving the governor's office, he remained active in numerous positions. He became a member of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia, the first former governor to do so. He also served on the Board of Directors for Aflac and as the chairman of the Harris Georgia Corporation.

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Roy Barnes, 2006-11-16 117 minutes ROGP 008 View Interview

Roy Eugene Barnes was born in Mableton, Georgia on March 11, 1948. He was heavily exposed to politics by listening to political conversations and stories in his father's general store. He received a history degree from the University of Georgia, and graduated from the University of Georgia Law School in 1972. After passing the bar, Barnes returned to Cobb County to work in the office of the district attorney. In 1974, he was elected to the Georgia State Senate as a Democrat, and served for eight years. In 1990, he ran his first campaign for Georgia governor, but lost to Zell Miller. In 1992, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. He served there until 1998, when he ran a successful campaign for governor against the better-funded Guy Millner. His time as governor contained both extensive reform and heated controversy, and with the rising Republic tide in Georgia, Barnes lost the 2002 re-election to Republican Sonny Perdue. Upon leaving office, Barnes joined a legal aid group for consulting and legal defense and founded Barnes Law Group. In 2009 he announced his candidacy for governor in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election.

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Carlton Colwell and Eric Holmes on Politics and Lobbying 2007-01-12 38 minutes ROGP 009 View Interview See also ROGP 064 Carlton Colwell

Carlton Colwell was born in Blairsville, Georgia on June 27, 1926. He worked for General Motors for twelve years, until Jim Gillis asked him to run for the Georgia Senate. Despite winning the primary, redistricting prohibited him from serving. In 1964, he ran a successful campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives. He represented several North Georgia mountain counties for thirty years. Colwell served on various committees, including Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Fiscal Affairs. He served as chairman of the State Institution and Property Committee, and oversaw the prison system in Georgia. Speaker Murphy appointed him to the constitutional revision commission, and he helped rewrite the Georgia Constitution. Upon leaving politics, numerous highways, prison facilities, and technical schools in North Georgia were funded by and named after Colwell.

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Bubba McDonald on Tom Murphy, 2007-01-16 97 minutes ROGP 010 View Interview See also ROGP 026 Bubba McDonald

Lauren “Bubba” McDonald was born in Commerce, Georgia in 1938 on Thanksgiving Day. He attended the University of Georgia, and made a living playing the trombone. In 1959, he joined the Georgia Air National Guard in 1959. Upon graduating with a degree in business, McDonald returned home to work in his father’s hardware business. In 1968, he ran for county commissioner, at that time known as the commissioner of Roads and Revenue. In 1971, he was elected into the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. In the house, he sponsored controversial legislation, including a local amendment to grant the Georgia Bureau of Investigation total arrest authority over car thefts in Jackson County. He was eventually appointed chairman of the Industry Committee, where he served for five years. He was also appointed chairman of the Appropriations Committee, where he served for eight years. In 1997, McDonald and his son, Lauren, became partners in the L.W. McDonald & Son Funeral Home in Cumming, Georgia. Governor Zell Miller appointed McDonald to the Public Service Commission in 1998, a position he held until 2002. During his term, he served on the Committee on Electricity of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, chairing the Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues and Waste Disposal. McDonald ran for public service commissioner again in 2008, and won.

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Bert Lance, 2007-01-25 59 minutes ROGP 011 View Interview

Thomas Bertram "Bert" Lance was born in Gainesville, Georgia on June 3, 1931. He graduated from the University of Georgia, and undertook graduate studies in banking at Louisiana State University and Rutgers University. Upon graduation from UGA, he began work for the Calhoun First National Bank as a bank clerk. He eventually became president and chairman of the bank's board. When Jimmy Carter was elected governor in 1970, Lance was appointed state highway director. He ran an unsuccessful campaign to succeed him as governor in 1974. In 1976, Lance began his term as president of the National Bank of Georgia. Upon Carter's election to the presidency, he was named director of the federal Office of Management and Budget. In 1977, his connections to both the bank and the federal office led to a U.S. Justice Department investigation for corruption. Amid scandal and eventual acquittal, Lance resigned as OMB director in 1977. In 1981, he again became chairman of the Calhoun National Bank. He was elected chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party in 1982, and was an advisor in Jesse Jackson's run for the presidency. He remains active in state and national affairs.

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Nathan Deal, 2007-02-01 46 minutes ROGP 012 View Interview

John Nathan Deal was born in Millen, Georgia on August 25, 1942. He attended Mercer University and the Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Army. Deal worked as a lawyer, assistant district and attorney and judge, before being elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1981. He served until 1993, and was president pro tempore in his last term. Deal was elected in 1992 as a Democrat to the U.S. Congress, but four months into his second term he switched to the Republican Party. He went on to win his first term as a Republican in 1996, and retired in 2010 to enter the race for Governor of Georgia. See also ROGP 061 Betty Vandiver, ROGP 107 Betty Vandiver, and ROGP 108 Jane Kidd.

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Betty Vandiver and Jane Kidd on Ernest Vandiver, 2007-02-09 109 minutes ROGP 013 View Interview See also ROGP 06, ROGP 107 Betty Vandiver, and ROGP 108 Jane Kidd

Sybil Elizabeth "Betty" Russell Vandiver was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1925. The niece of Richard B. Russell, she grew up in Winder, Georgia. In 1947, she graduated from the University of Georgia and married Samuel Ernest Vandiver of Lavonia, Georgia, with whom she had three children. She helped him campaign successfully for lieutenant governor, a post Vandiver was elected to in 1954. In 1958, Vandiver was elected governor of Georgia. As first lady, Betty Vandiver was instrumental in setting up Milledgeville's Central State Hospital, Georgia's first mental institution. Ernest Vandiver’s subsequent campaigns for governor (1966) and U.S. Senate (1972) proved unsuccessful, and the Vandivers retired from politics. They remained active in the business and community affairs of Lavonia.

Jane Brevard Vandiver Kidd was born February 12, 1953. As the daughter of Georgia Governor S. Ernest Vandiver (1959-1963) and grand-niece of Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr., Kidd was involved in politics early, serving as chair of Youth for Herman Talmadge in Talmadge’s 1968 Senate campaign, and campaigning for her father during his 1972 US Senate campaign. She graduated from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism in 1975, and in 1980 she won a seat on the Lavonia City Council, which she kept for three terms. In 1992 she was Don Johnson’s campaign manager in his successful run for congress, and served as Johnson’s district director. In 2004 Kidd was elected to the state house, serving for one term before mounting an unsuccessful bid for a state senate seat. In 2007 she was elected chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. She lives in Athens, Georgia and is a public relations consultant specializing in higher education.

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Mack Mattingly, 2007-02-15 77 minutes ROGP 014 View Interview

Mack Francis Mattingly was born in Anderson, Indiana on January 7, 1931. He served in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1955. He earned a bachelor's degree in business marketing from Indiana University in 1957. He worked twenty years for the IBM Corporation as Marketing Manager, and developed his own business, M's Inc. in Brunswick, Georgia. In 1964, Mattingly entered the Georgia Republican Party, serving as the chairman in the 8th district campaign for Barry Goldwater. In 1968, he became a member of the Republican Party State Executive Committee and served as vice-chair. In 1975, he became chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, a position he held until 1977. In 1980, Mattingly was the first Republican from Georgia to be elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction. While in the Senate, he served as chairman of the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, and as chairman of the Republican Conference's Committee on Committees. He sponsored bills for military construction in Central America. In 1985, he introduced controversial legislation for the line-item veto, and served on the Select Committee on Ethics. Mattingly's interests were largely in trade issues and tax policy. He co-authored the tax policy plank of the Republican Party Platform. In 1982, he was appointed as a U.S. delegate to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. He received the "Watchdog of the Treasury" award for the 97th and 98th Congress. In 1986, Mattingly ran unsuccessfully for reelection. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed him assistant secretary general for Defense Support for NATO in Brussels, Belgium. He received the Secretary of Defense medal for Outstanding Public Service in 1988. President George H.W. Bush appointed him U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Seychelles in 1992. Mattingly currently resides on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

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Griffin Bell, 2007-02-22 60 minutes ROGP 015 View Interview

Griffin Boyette Bell was born in Americus, Georgia on October 31, 1918. After attending Georgia Southwestern College for a time, Bell left to work in his father's tire store. He was drafted in 1942, serving in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, and the Transportation Corps at Fort Lee, Virginia. Upon his discharge in 1946, he enrolled in the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University, and became city attorney of Warner Robins, Georgia, before graduating or passing the Georgia bar exam. Following his graduation he worked in Savannah and Rome before joining in 1953 what would become King & Spalding in Atlanta. His interest in politics led to his appointment as chief of staff for Governor Ernest Vandiver and his subsequent involvement with the Sibley Commission, organized to oversee the desegregation of Georgia's public schools. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Bell to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and he spent 14 years on the bench. He returned to King & Spalding, only to be nominated U.S. attorney general by President Jimmy Carter in 1976. In his tenure in that office he did much to restore public confidence in the U.S. Justice Department, which had been damaged during the Watergate era. He was central in fashioning federal policy in affirmative action and environmental protection, and led the effort to pass the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978. He resigned as attorney general in 1979, and Carter appointed him as special ambassador to the Helsinki Convention. From 1985 to 1987, he was a member of the U.S. Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on South Africa. In 1989, President George H. W. Bush appointed him as vice chairman of the Commission on Federal Ethics Law Reform. He returned to Atlanta to practice law, specializing in corporate internal investigations. He led investigations of E.F. Hutton in 1985 and the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. In 2004, he was appointed chief judge of the United States Court of Military Commission Review, retiring in 2007. Griffin Bell died on January 5, 2009.

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Leroy Johnson, 2007-02-27 79 minutes ROGP 016 View Interview

Leroy Reginald Johnson was born in Atlanta, Georgia on July 28, 1928. He earned a bachelor's degree from Morehouse College and a master's degree from Atlanta University in 1951. He taught social science in Atlanta public schools from 1950 to 1954, before he decided to obtain a law degree from North Carolina Central University in 1957. In 1957, Johnson became the first African-American to be hired by the Fulton County solicitor general's office. He worked as a criminal investigator from 1957 to 1962. Georgia's county unit system was overturned in 1962, and that resulted in a predominately African-American Fulton County senate district. Johnson won the seat in 1962, making him the first African-American in the legislature since 1907, rising to chair the Judiciary Committee. In 1970, Johnson helped to stage a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Jerry Quarry in Atlanta, which saw Ali reclaim the title of heavyweight champion. Johnson ran unsuccessfully in 1973 and 1974 for mayor of Atlanta. For several years, Johnson was executive director of the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority, stepping down in 1987. Johnson's portrait was hung in 1996 on the third floor of the state capitol near the senate chamber, where he served for twelve years. During the 2000 legislative session, the senate unanimously passed a resolution renaming a portion of Fulton Industrial Boulevard as Leroy Johnson–Fulton Industrial Boulevard.

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Sam Griffin on Marvin Griffin, 2007-04-01 44 minutes ROGP 017 View Interview

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Johnny Isakson, 2007-04-04 48 minutes ROGP 018 View Interview

John Hardy "Johnny" Isakson was born in Atlanta, Georgia on December 28, 1944. He served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. He graduated from the University of Georgia, and opened Northside Reality. In 1979, he became president of the company, and led Northside to become the largest real estate company in Georgia. He first ran as a Republican for the Georgia House of Representatives in 1974, but lost. Running again in 1976, he won. He served seven terms, the last two as minority leader. He ran for governor in 1990, but lost to Zell Miller. In 1992, Isakson ran for the Georgia Senate and won, serving two terms. In 1996 he ran for Sam Nunn’s vacated U.S. Senate seat, but lost in the primary to Guy Millner. In 1998, Congressman and Speaker Newt Gingrich announced his retirement, and Isakson entered a special election in February. He won and was elected for a full term in 2000 and 2002. In 2003, Senator Zell Miller declared that he would not run for a full term in 2004. Isakson entered the race, winning the endorsement of President George W. Bush and the election, taking his seat in the senate in 2005.

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Saxby Chambliss, 2007-04-16 44 minutes ROGP 019 View Interview

Clarence Saxby Chambliss was born in Warrenton, North Carolina on November 10, 1943. He attended Louisiana Tech University and the University of Georgia, earning a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1966. He received his law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1968. Chambliss worked as an attorney focusing in business and agricultural law until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. He was part of the "Class of '94," a group of new Republicans whose elections caused them to gain a majority in congress. He served four terms, and was a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and chair of the Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security. Chambliss ran for the U.S. Senate in 2002, focusing on national defense and homeland security. He won, defeating Democratic incumbent Max Cleland. He is the primary sponsor in the U.S. Senate for the Fair Tax Act. He has also worked on bipartisan legislation, including the 2007 Farm Bill and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

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Cathy Cox, 2008-01-10 81 minutes ROGP 020 View Interview

Lera Catherine "Cathy" Cox was born in Bainbridge, Georgia in 1958. She received her associate's degree in agriculture from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. She became a journalist for The Gainesville Times and The Post-Searchlight. As a journalist covering crime and courtrooms, she decided she wanted to study law. In 1986, she graduated magna cum laude from Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law, and worked at various law firms in Atlanta and Bainbridge. Cox entered politics as a Democrat when she became a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. She served from 1993 to 1996, when she left her seat to become the assistant secretary of state. She was elected secretary of state in 1998 and again in 2002, the first woman to serve in that post. She developed programs to stop investment fraud, and implemented a universal electronic voting system in Georgia. In 2004, Cox decided to campaign for governor. She lost in the primary to Democrat Mark Taylor. She retired from politics, and taught for one semester at the University of Georgia School of Law as a Carl E. Sanders Political Leadership Scholar, before becoming the 21st president of Young Harris College.

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David Gambrell, 2008-01-24 89 minutes ROGP 021 View Interview

David Henry Gambrell was born in Atlanta, Georgia on December 20, 1929. He graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina in 1949, and Harvard Law School in 1952. Gambrell served in the reserves of the U.S. Army. Gambrell began his political career as an "advance man" for Herman Talmadge's 1950 campaign. During college summer breaks, Gambrell would promote Talmadge speeches and appearances in Georgia, tacking up posters and announcements. He returned to Atlanta as an associate and partner in the law firm, King & Spalding. In 1963, he founded his own law firm, Gambrell & Stolz, LLP. He served as president of the Atlanta Bar Association from 1965 to 1966, and as president of the State Bar of Georgia from 1967 to 1968. He continued his work with various political campaigns, helping Paul Webb, Adlai Stevenson, Ernest Vandiver, and Jimmy Carter. He worked most closely with Carter, serving as his campaign treasurer. He also served as chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party. In 1971, Gambrell became known as the "Instant Senator" when, after the death of Senator Richard B. Russell, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate seat by then Governor Carter. He served until 1972, when he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Sam Nunn. Gambrell entered the Georgia gubernatorial race in 1974, but was unsuccessful. He has since served on a variety of boards for corporations and universities.

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Nancy Schaefer, 2008-04-09 40 minutes ROGP 022 View Interview

Nancy Schaefer was born in Clayton, Georgia on June 28, 1936. She studied art at Toccoa Falls College. Schaefer became a Republican Georgia senator for the 50th district in 2004. She has made her name by representing conservative social values, and is president and founder of Family Concerns, Inc., a conservative religious group. She ran for lieutenant governor in 1994 and governor in 1998, but was unsuccessful both times. She was long-time representative of the Trustee of the National Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. She represented both Family Concerns and the Southern Baptist Convention at the United Nations’ Fourth World Conference on Women, Human Settlements, and Food. She was the former vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention, and a frequent speaker for churches, radio talk shows, and political organizations. As a Georgia senator, Schaefer focused on campaigning against Child Protective Services and served on a variety of committees. Nancy Schaefer died in 2010.

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Herb Mabry, 2008-04-14 87 minutes ROGP 023 View Interview

Herb Mabry was born in Roswell, Georgia in 1929. He studied labor law at the Woodrow Wilson College of Law in Atlanta. He entered union politics in 1950 while working as a carpenter for Sears Roebuck, when he joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (Carpenters’ Union) Local 225 in Atlanta. In 1969, he became the president of that Union. At the 1970 convention, he was elected secretary of the Georgia AFL-CIO. He created controversy by supporting African-American Leroy Johnson, and was a friend and supporter of both Zell Miller and Jimmy Carter. In 1972, he was elected to the Union Executive Board. He was the first labor representative on the Democratic National Committee, and was influential in bringing the National Democratic Convention to Georgia in 1998. He was also involved in various union boards and political and social groups. Mabry retired in 1999.

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Tommy Irvin, 2008-04-17 69 minutes ROGP 024 View Interview

Thomas T. “Tommy” Irvin was born July 14, 1929 in Lula, Georgia, and was the son of sharecroppers. He grew up on a farm in White County. After the death of his father in a sawmill accident, Irvin was forced to drop out of high school to support his mother and siblings. He went on to make his father’s sawmill business extremely successful. He moved to Habersham County, and in 1956 was elected to the school board. He later became chairman and president of the Georgia School Boards Association. In 1956 he was asked to run for the state legislature. He won, and at 33, Irvin was one of the youngest members of the Georgia General Assembly. Lester Maddox asked him to manage his gubernatorial campaign. Upon Maddox’s election, Irvin became floor leader and executive secretary. In 1969, Maddox appointed him to be agricultural commissioner. He became the longest serving agricultural commissioner in the United States.

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Terry Coleman, 2008-04-24 105 minutes ROGP 025 View Interview

Terry Lewis Coleman was born in Dodge County, Georgia. He received his associates’ degree from Reinhardt College, and his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Brenau University. He obtained his law degree from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law. He served in the Eastman Volunteer Fire Department and as an emergency medical technician. Coleman was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1972, becoming chairman of the Appropriations Committee. In 2003 and 2004, he served as speaker of the house. In 2007, Coleman was appointed by Tommy Irving to be the deputy commissioner for Agriculture with an emphasis on international trade, homeland security and legislative issues. Coleman is the founder of Coleman and Company Benefits, Inc, is a member of the Board of Trustees for Georgia Southern University, and owns Huddle House franchises in Eastman and McRae, Georgia.

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Bubba McDonald, 2008-05-01 77 minutes ROGP 026 View Interview

Lauren “Bubba” McDonald was born in Commerce, Georgia in 1938 on Thanksgiving Day. He attended the University of Georgia, and made a living playing the trombone. In 1959, he joined the Georgia Air National Guard in 1959. Upon graduating with a degree in business, McDonald returned home to work in his father’s hardware business. In 1968, he ran for county commissioner, at that time known as the commissioner of Roads and Revenue. In 1971, he was elected into the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican. In the house, he sponsored controversial legislation, including a local amendment to grant the Georgia Bureau of Investigation total arrest authority over car thefts in Jackson County. He was eventually appointed chairman of the Industry Committee, where he served for five years. He was also appointed chairman of the Appropriations Committee, where he served for eight years. In 1997, McDonald and his son, Lauren, became partners in the L.W. McDonald & Son Funeral Home in Cumming, Georgia. Governor Zell Miller appointed McDonald to the Public Service Commission in 1998, a position he held until 2002. During his term, he served on the Committee on Electricity of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, chairing the Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues and Waste Disposal. McDonald ran for public service commissioner again in 2008, and won.

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Mike Bowers, 2008-05-07 45 minutes ROGP 027 View Interview

Michael Joseph “Mike” Bowers was born in Commerce, Georgia in 1942. He graduated from the West Point in 1963, and served in the U.S. Air Force until 1970. He received his degree in law from the University of Georgia in 1974, and worked as an assistant state attorney general. In 1981, Governor George Busbee appointed Bowers attorney general. In that position, Bowers made his name advocating open government and a statewide grand jury. He fought against public corruption and political fraud. He left the attorney general position in 1997 in order to run for Georgia governor. He ran as a Republican, losing in the primary to Guy Millner due in part to scandal involving an extramarital affair. Bowers has gone on to a successful private law practice in Atlanta, with Balch and Bingham.

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Larry Walker, 2008-05-14 73 minutes ROGP 028 View Interview

Lawrence Cohen “Larry” Walker, Jr. was born March 9, 1942 in Macon, Georgia. He received both a business and law degree in the University of Georgia. He won his first race for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972, and served for 32 years. He eventually became the majority leader in the house, and remained a member of Speaker Tom Murphy’s inner circle. Walker was floor leader under Governor Joe Frank Harris. He was influential in many important legislative movements, including the changing of the state flag and the creation of the Georgia National Fair & Ag Center in Perry, Georgia. Walker has served on the Transportation Board and serves on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

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Norman Underwood, 2008-05-15 84 minutes ROGP 029 View Interview

Norman Lee Underwood was born in Red Bud, Georgia on July 15, 1941. Active in 4-H, he received the Homelite Chainsaw Company Scholarship, which allowed him to attend George Washington University and intern for Senator Richard B. Russell. He returned to Georgia, and graduated with a degree in forestry in 1964, and a law degree in 1966. Upon graduation, he was hired by Carl Sanders’ new law firm, Troutman Sanders, LLP, becoming a partner in the firm in 1973. He managed George Busbee’s campaign for governor, and Underwood left his law practice to become Busbee’s executive secretary in 1975. He was appointed as a judge to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 1979. He resigned at the end of the year in order to run for U.S. Senate. The attempt was unsuccessful, as was his 1982 run for governor. He remained involved with Senator Zell Miller, who appointed him his chairman of the Judicial Selection Commission. He no longer sought public office, but returned to the law firm Troutman Sanders LLP, where he is a senior counsel. Underwood is a trustee of the Richard B. Russell Foundation.

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Joel Cowan, 2008-05-15 99 minutes ROGP 030 View Interview

Joel Cowan was born in Cartersville, Georgia. In 1958, he graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in industrial management. Before graduation, he developed the Georgia community, Peachtree City, and served as its first mayor in 1959. He served as the CEO of Peachtree City’s development and investment company, Habersham & Cowan, Inc. through 1976. After Peachtree City, he continued to work in development, becoming involved with Phipps Plaza, Snapfinger Woods, and Palmetto Dunes. He was campaign chairman for Governor Joe Frank Harris, and served as Harris’ honorary chief of staff. Harris also appointed him to the chair of the newly created Growth Strategies Commission. Cowan was the founding chairman of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. From 1990 to 1995, he served on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. He has moved from development to international work, and is a director of World Airways Holdings Inc. Cowan is currently adjunct professor and holder of the William B. Turner Chair of Servant Leadership at Georgia Tech.

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Richard Guthman, 2008-05-22 105 minutes ROGP 031 View Interview

Richard Guthman was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Cornell for two years, and graduated from Georgia Tech in 1956 with a degree in industrial engineering. He served in the U.S. Army. He became interested in various civic organizations, including chairing the Police Committee. In 1966, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican seat in congress. Upon his narrow defeat, he was elected chairman of the Fulton County Republican Party. In 1973, he ran for a position on the Atlanta city council, representing District Eight. On the city council, he maintained his platform as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, serving under Atlanta’s first African-American mayor, Maynard Jackson. He was chair of the Development Committee, and oversaw developments in MARTA, the Downtown Connector, and Highway 400. He served on the Atlanta City Council until 1988.

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Doug Barnard, 2008-05-28 105 minutes ROGP 032 View Interview

Druie Douglas “Doug” Barnard, Jr. was born in Augusta, Georgia on March 20, 1922. He attended Augusta College, and graduated from Mercer University. Barnard served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He returned and received his law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University, in 1948. Upon graduation, he worked in the banking business until 1962. At the request of his friend, Carl Sanders, he ran for and won the chairmanship of the Democratic Executive Committee. In 1963, he left the banking business to become Governor Sanders’ executive secretary. In 1966, he returned to work with the Georgia Railroad Bank, and Governor Sanders appointed him a board member of the Georgia State Department of Transportation. In 1977, he ran a successful campaign for the United States House of Representatives. There, he served on the Banking Committee, and promoted the Safe Banking Bill and the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. He also served as chair of the Commerce, Consumer and Monetary Affairs Subcommittee of Government Ops, and initiated changes in the Internal Revenue Service. He retired from politics in 1993. Barnard is currently chairman emeritus of MCG Health, Inc., and is involved in the Wounded Warrior project, which provides assistance to those injured in active military duty.

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Ned Young, 2008-06-02 78 minutes ROGP 033 View Interview

Ned B. Young was born in Bakersville, NC in 1934. He attended the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. He moved to St. Simons, Georgia in 1954, where he worked for Delta Airlines. He first became active in politics when he joined the Georgia Jaycees – he would become president of the organization and national director of the U.S. Jaycees. He worked for Ellis Arnall’s gubernatorial campaign in 1966 and after Arnall’s loss in the Democratic primary, Young joined Lester Maddox’s gubernatorial campaign. He continued to support Maddox in his successful bid for lieutenant governor in 1970, and worked as a campaign advisor for Bill Stuckey and Sam Nunn. Young continued to live in St. Simons, and was the owner and operator of the Bowlarena in Brunswick for many years, and in Savannah, where he was the owner of Professional Corrections Services. Ned Young died in Savannah in 2008.

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James Tysinger, 2008-06-05 62 minutes ROGP 034 View Interview

James Tysinger was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, on August 9, 1921, and grew up in Washington, D.C. He joined the U.S. Army during World War II, seeing action in Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon. Upon leaving the army, he attended Georgia Tech and went to work as an engineer for the Shell Oil Company and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. He first became active in politics when he volunteered with the Goldwater campaign. This led to his involvement in the DeKalb Republican Party, and an unsuccessful run for the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1968 he ran successfully for the Georgia Senate, where he served until 1998. During his time there, he served as chairman of Science and Technology under Governor Lester Maddox. Governor Zell Miller appointed him chairman of the Georgia World Congress Center Overview Committee. He also served as chair of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Overview Committee, which eventually became the MARTA Ethics Committee.

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George "Buddy" Darden, 2008-06-18 139 minutes ROGP 035 View Interview

George Washington “Buddy” Darden was born in Sparta, Georgia on November 22, 1943. He attended North Georgia College, and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 1965. He was selected to serve in Senator Richard B. Russell’s patronage program in Washington, D.C. He received his law degree from the University of Georgia Law School in 1967, and served as assistant district attorney in Cobb County from 1968 to 1972, when he was elected district attorney. In 1980, he was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives, and served on the Judiciary Committee. After the death of U.S. representative Larry McDonald, Darden won the special election to take his seat. In congress, he served on several committees, including the House Armed Services, Ethics, and Appropriations. In 1994, he lost his reelection bid, and unsuccessfully campaigned for congress in 2002. He served under Governor Roy Barnes as chairman of the Judicial Nominating Commission. Since 1995, he has been with the law firm McKenna, Long and Aldridge. President Clinton appointed him to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. After Clinton left office, Darden began doing work for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, traveling to various countries including Indonesia and Senegal. Darden remains a member of the law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge, and represents Georgia’s interests in the water dispute with Alabama and Florida.

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James Earl "Chip" Carter III, 2008-06-23 110 minutes ROGP 036 View Interview

James Earl “Chip” Carter III was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on April 12, 1950. He was raised in Plains, Georgia, and is the son of President Jimmy Carter. He was active in his father’s peanut business and political campaigns, and was a member of the Plains City Council and the Democratic National Committee. In 2000, Carter became president of Friendship Force, an international exchange program founded by the Carters in 1977.

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Ed Jenkins, 2008-07-07 110 minutes ROGP 037 View Interview

Edgar Lanier "Ed" Jenkins was born in Young Harris, Georgia on January 4, 1933. From 1952 to 1955, he served in the Coast Guard. He attended both Young Harris College and Emory University, and graduated from the University of Georgia Law School in 1959. After graduation, he served as an administrative assistant to congressman Phillip M. Landrum from 1959 to 1962. He practiced law in Jasper, Georgia, and served as an assistant United States attorney in Atlanta. He was elected to the U.S. Congress as a Democrat in 1976. While in congress, he was active in the Ways and Means Committee, passing and supporting bills involving taxes, trade and land and mountain preservation. He also served as chairman of the Textile Caucus and as a deputy whip in the House. After 16 years in Congress, a large mountain tract in North Georgia was designated the "Ed Jenkins National Recreation Area." Jenkins was a member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and a partner in the firm of Winburn & Jenkins in Washington, D.C. He is retired.

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John Blackmon, 2008-07-08 58 minutes ROGP 039 View Interview

John Blackmon was born November 9, 1933, in Columbus, Georgia. After three years in the U.S. Air Force, he attended law school at Emory University, and then worked for three years in the state law department, and seven years in the Georgia Revenue Department. In 1968, he became the deputy revenue commissioner. Governor Lester Maddox appointed him state revenue commissioner in 1970. In that position, Blackmon improved the state tax structure by modeling it more closely after the federal one. He went on to serve under Governor Jimmy Carter. He then joined the state staff of the Georgia Air National Guard. In 1996, he became chairman of the Georgia Democratic Committee. In the private sector, he was appointed to the Georgia World Congress Center team. He practiced law at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, focusing on tax issues. He is retired.

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Michael Thurmond, 2008-07-21 58 minutes ROGP 039 View Interview

Michael L. Thurmond was born in rural Clarke County, Georgia on January 5, 1953. He graduated in 1975 with a BA in philosophy and religion from Paine College, and received his JD in 1978 from the University of South Carolina Law School. He returned to Athens and served as the assistant city attorney, and became a senior partner in the firm Thurmond, Thurmond, Miller and Rucker. He served as vice-chairman of the Athens-Clarke County Charter Commission and on the board of directors of the Salvation Army. Thurmond is a founding member of Citizens for Better Government, and developed the Juvenile Justice Program to give grade school children an exposure to law. In both 1982 and 1984, he made unsuccessful attempts to run for the state legislature. In 1986, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the 9th District until 1992. Upon his election, Thurmond became the first African-American from Clarke County to serve as a state representative since Reconstruction. He authored legislation that awarded over 90 million in tax refunds to Georgia families, served as chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, and was a member of the agriculture and consumer affairs, judiciary, and education committees. In 1992, he left the house to run for the U.S. Congress, but was unsuccessful. In 1994, Governor Zell Miller appointed him to serve as director of Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services, or DFACS. There, he created “Work First,” a Georgia program designed to get families off welfare and into jobs. In 1997, he was a distinguished lecturer on public policy for the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Thurmond was elected Labor commissioner in 1998, and continues in that position.

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Jim L. Gillis, Jr., 2008-07-25 73 minutes ROGP 040 View Interview

James Lester “Jim L.” Gillis, Jr. was born October 2, 1916, in Locust Grove, Georgia. Gillis is the grandson of Treutlen County founder and state representative Neil Gillis, the son of State Senator and Highway Commissioner Jim L. Gillis, and brother of Hugh Gillis. In 1937, Gillis graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in forestry. He worked as an assistant district forester, while taking night courses in business. In 1938, he ran a successful campaign for the Georgia Senate. He served again from 1945 to 1946, and returned home to become first mayor and then county commissioner of Treutlen County, a post he held for forty years, retiring in 2001. He was active in forestry projects, serving as chairman of the board for the Georgia Forestry Commission, president of the American Turpentine Farmers Association, and a member of the Soil Conservation Service. He was also chairman on the board of the Bank of Soperton, president of the Georgia Bankers Association, and president of the State Association of County Commissioners.

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Hugh Gillis, 2008-07-25 90 minutes ROGP 041 View Interview

Hugh Gillis was born in Soperton, Georgia on September 6, 1918. Gillis is the grandson of Treutlen County founder and state representative Neil Gillis, the son of state senator and highway commissioner Jim L. Gillis, and brother of Jim L. Gillis, Jr. Gillis attended Georgia Military College, and in 1939 received an undergraduate degree in agriculture from the University of Georgia. In 1941, he ran successfully for the Georgia House of Representatives. He served two terms, one from 1941 to 1944, and the other from 1949 to 1956. Meanwhile, he started his own company, Gillis Ag and Timber. Gillis was elected twice to the Georgia Senate, the first time in 1957, and the second in 1962. He would hold that seat for the next forty-two years, making him the longest-serving member of the Georgia General Assembly. In the senate, he was elected president pro tempore, and served on the Appropriations Committee. Working to bring doctors to rural communities, Gillis was influential in the creation of the dental school at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. He also served as head of the Natural Resources Committee, a seat which he held until his retirement in 2004.

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Elliott Levitas, 2008-08-01 115 minutes ROGP 042 View Interview

Elliott Harris Levitas was born in Atlanta, Georgia on December 26, 1930. He graduated from Emory University, and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. He served in the Strategic Air Command of the U.S. Air Force. In 1956, he received his Juris Doctor from the Emory University School of Law. At the University of Michigan, he spent a year in additional legal studies, returning to Atlanta to join the law firm of Arnall Golden Gregory, LLP. In 1965, Levitas was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives. He was involved in many issues, including the seating of Julian Bond, the gubernatorial appointment of Lester Maddox, and the independent election of the speaker of the house. He was chairman of the State Planning and Community Affairs Committee, and a member of the Judiciary Committee. He was the sponsor of the Chattahoochee Bill, which protected the river from pollution and development. In 1964, he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Levitas was elected to the U.S. Congress, and served from 1975 to 1985. He served as the main lawyer in the dispute against Anne Gorsuch-Burford and the mismanagement of the EPA. Levitas currently works as a lawyer in the Atlanta firm of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP.

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Bill Stuckey, 2008-08-11 81 minutes ROGP 043 View Interview

Williamson Sylvester “Bill” Stuckey, Jr. was born in Eastman, Georgia on May 25, 1935. He grew up helping his mother and father at their convenience store, Stuckey’s. After attending the Georgia Military Academy, he graduated with degrees in business (1956) and law (1959) from the University of Georgia. Upon graduation, he went into business with his father, serving as president of Stuckey’s from 1958 to 1966. In 1967, Stuckey was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat, and served on the Finance, Agriculture, District of Columbia, and the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. He was chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Housing, and Transportation, where he helped to develop NASDAQ. He was also instrumental in preserving Cumberland Island and the Okefenokee Swamp. Stuckey retired from congress in 1976. In 1985, he went back to work with Stuckey's, and developed it on a broader scale. Currently, he is chairman of the Board of Stuckey's.

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Bobby Rowan, 2008-08-19 159 minutes ROGP 044 View Interview

Robert A. "Bobby" Rowan was born in Enigma, Georgia on November 17, 1935. He attended the University of Georgia, studied agriculture, and was elected campus leader. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and then returned home to work as a schoolteacher and farmer. In 1962, Rowan ran a successful campaign for the Georgia Senate. He was the youngest senator at the time. He served as secretary of the Rules Committee. He was also a key figure in sponsoring the Mental Health Bill of Rights and the Special Education Act. In 1974, he made an unsuccessful bid for governor. Rowan was appointed by Governor George Busbee to the Board of Human Resources, where he served for eight years, and then to the Children’s Youth Commission by Governor Joe Frank Harris. In 1989, he ran successfully for public service commissioner, and retired in 1994.

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Dawson Mathis, 2008-08-20 112 minutes ROGP 045 View Interview

Marvin Dawson Mathis was born in Nashville, Georgia on November 30, 1940. He attended South Georgia College. He began a career in broadcasting, working with at WRPB in Warner Robins. He went to WCEH radio for a short period, and from 1964 to 1970 he served as the news director of WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia. Mathis campaigned successfully for congress in 1971. He served on several committees, including Agriculture, House Administration, and Steering and Policy. During the Watergate Scandal, he served on the Elections Subcommittee, and was involved with election and candidate donation reform. In 1980, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate, retiring from the house in 1981. After his political career, he worked as a private advocate in Washington, D.C., and retired to Nashville, Georgia.

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Sam Massell, 2008-08-22 88 minutes ROGP 046 View Interview

Samuel Massell was born in Atlanta, Georgia on August 26, 1927. His parents emigrated from Lithuania, and developed a vast real estate business in Atlanta. He graduated from the University of Georgia at 16. When members of the Democratic Executive Committee resigned due to desegregation of what was then the White Democratic Executive Committee, Massell was elected to one of the newly opened posts. He was then elected vice mayor under Ivan Allen, Jr., where he served for eight years. During that time, he added representatives for various programs, including the community relations, youth, and gay rights' groups. In 1969, Massell was elected as a Democrat to be the city's first Jewish mayor. His administration saw the development of MARTA without an ad valorem tax. He continued to sponsor the advancement of minorities, electing the first woman to the Atlanta city council. He was also instrumental in the development of the Omni Coliseum and the Central City Woodruff Park. In 1973, Massell was defeated by his vice-mayor, Maynard Jackson. Massell went on to become the president of the Buckhead Coalition, earning him a title as the unofficial "Mayor of Buckhead."

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John C. Foster, 2008-08-25 77 minutes ROGP 047 View Interview

John Charles Foster was born in Cornelia, Georgia on April 2, 1934. After returning from service in the Army in 1954-1955, Foster purchased WSMT radio station in Sandersville and WCON in Cornelia. He was elected to the Georgia Senate as a Democrat in 1974. He served as chairman of the Education Committee during his entire stay in the senate. He sponsored the first mandate for testing from the National Association of Educational Progress. Under Governor Joe Frank Harris, Foster sponsored the Quality Basic Education Act for the equal funding of both urban and rural schools. Foster left office in 1992.

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Betty Sanders, 2008-09-03 104 minutes ROGP 048 View Interview

Betty Bird Foy Sanders was born to a farming family in Statesboro, Georgia on August 6, 1926. She spent a year at the Georgia Teacher's College, and then earned a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Georgia. She met Carl Sanders at UGA, and they married in 1947. They moved to Augusta, Carl Sanders’s hometown, where Carl practiced law. When he entered politics, Betty campaigned with him, and they moved to Atlanta when Carl was elected governor in 1962. As the first lady of Georgia, she raised two children, helped develop the new governor's mansion, and entertained many renowned politicians and business leaders. Sanders made a name for herself in fashion, particularly for her hats. She was a successful artist, recording Georgia's wildflowers. She also helped to create the first Georgia Council of Arts, which developed fine arts buildings on numerous Georgia campuses and sponsored art scholarships. She served on the Council for seven years. Her paintings have been shown in various exhibitions throughout Georgia. She lives in Atlanta.

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Helen Lewis, 2008-09-15 69 minutes ROGP 049 View Interview

Helen Lewis was born in 1924 in Cumming, Georgia. While at Georgia State College for Women she helped form the Student League for Good Government, in order to campaign for Jimmy Carmichael's 1946 gubernatorial race. When Carmichael lost the race, Lewis went to graduate school at Duke University, but returned to Georgia, where she answered letters for Governor Thompson. She finished her M.A. in sociology at the University of Virginia in 1950, and a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Kentucky in 1970. She was an advocate of integration, and was involved in the Long Civil Rights Movement of the 1940s. As an educator, librarian, and administrator Lewis worked for the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Berea College in Kentucky, and the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee. She has been active in Appalachian issues, including labor, poverty, and education. She is retired.

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Eunice Mixon, 2008-10-02 128 minutes ROGP 050 View Interview

Eunice Lastinger Mixon was born in Tifton, Georgia, in 1931 to a family of farmers. She married Albert Mixon in 1948, and beginning in 1956 she attended the University of Georgia, attaining a master’s degree and specialist degree in education. She taught eighth-grade science, and high school biology, chemistry and physics for thirty years in the Tift County School System, and was an instructor at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. In 1974, gubernatorial candidate George Busbee, acquainted with Mixon through his advocacy for teachers in the legislature, appointed her as his Tift County campaign chairman, and her success at grassroots organizing gained her a reputation as a valuable political ally in South Georgia. She served as a delegate to the 1988 National Democratic Convention, and as a member of the Democratic Executive Committee. The Georgia House of Representatives named her one of the twenty-five distinguished women for the twenty-first century. She has served on numerous boards, including the Georgia Student Finance Commission and the Georgia State Bar Disciplinary Board. She is currently the doorkeeper to the state senate.

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Betty Vandiver, 2008-10-03 98 minutes ROGP 051 View Interview

Sybil Elizabeth "Betty" Russell Vandiver was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1925. The niece of Richard B. Russell, she grew up in Winder, Georgia. In 1947, she graduated from the University of Georgia and married Samuel Ernest Vandiver of Lavonia, Georgia, with whom she had three children. She helped him campaign successfully for lieutenant governor, a post Vandiver was elected to in 1954. In 1958, Vandiver was elected governor of Georgia. As first lady, Betty Vandiver was instrumental in setting up Milledgeville's Central State Hospital, Georgia's first mental institution. Ernest Vandiver’s subsequent campaigns for governor (1966) and U.S. Senate (1972) proved unsuccessful, and the Vandivers retired from politics. They remained active in the business and community affairs of Lavonia.

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Jim Minter, 2008-10-06 80 minutes ROGP 052 View Interview

James G. “Jim” Minter was born in Inman, Georgia, in 1930. He attended North Georgia College, and graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. He worked as a sportswriter for UGA’s The Red and Black newspaper, and then went on to the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Constitution, working with Lewis Grizzard, Bill Shipp, and Reg Murphy. He was appointed executive editor of the new Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He retired from the vice presidency of Cox Enterprises in 1988. He lives in Inman.

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Erwin Mitchell, 2008-10-20 87 minutes ROGP 053 View Interview

Harlan Erwin Mitchell was born in Dalton, Georgia on August 17, 1924. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1946, and in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1952. In 1948, Mitchell earned his law degree from the University of Georgia. Upon leaving the air force, he returned to Dalton to practice law in the firm of his father and uncle, Mitchell & Mitchell. From 1953 to 1956, he served as solicitor general of Cherokee Judicial Circuit and as a judge in the Superior Court from 1957 to 1958. He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Congress in 1958. He did not seek reelection in 1960, but returned to Georgia to run successfully for the Georgia Senate, in which he served one term. He was active in the community of Dalton and in his law practice, and in 1996 he founded the Georgia Project, which brought teachers from Mexico to instruct Spanish-speaking children and create bilingual students of all races. He continues to live in Dalton.

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Ben Blackburn, 2008-10-29 60 minutes ROGP 054 View Interview

Benjamin Bentley “Ben” Blackburn was born in Atlanta, Georgia on February 14, 1927. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and in the Korean War, retiring as a lieutenant commander. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1947, and earned his law degree from the Emory University School of Law in 1954. From 1955 to 1957, he served in the state attorney general’s office and represented the State Revenue Department in rural areas. In 1966, Blackburn was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a Republican, and served on the Banking Committee. He was also involved in the development of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research institution. In 1974, he was defeated for reelection, and became the chairman of the Heritage Foundation. From 1976 to 1985, Blackburn served as president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, which he helped to found. Remaining active in Republican issues, he was a member of the Reagan transition team. His 1982 campaign for Georgia governor was unsuccessful. From 1985 to 1989, he served as regional representative for the United States Department of Transportation. He is currently retired in Jasper, Georgia.

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Louise McBee, 2008-11-03 69 minutes ROGP 055 View Interview

Louise McBee was born June 15, 1924, in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, and attended East Tennessee State University. She received her graduate degree from Columbia University, and her doctorate from Ohio State University. She taught physical education in Virginia, and served two years as the dean of women at East Tennessee State University. She came to the University of Georgia in 1963, and was the dean of women, then dean of students, assistant vice president for instruction, and eventually vice president for Academic Affairs. At the university, she authored numerous books and earned the respect of students and the administration. In 1988, she retired from the university, and became the oldest woman to climb to the base camp of Mt. Everest. In 1993, she was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives. She was chairwman of the Higher Education Committee. She sponsored numerous bills to improve education, and is credited with supporting and improving the HOPE Scholarship. She retired from the General Assembly in 2004.

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Mary Anne Summers, 2008-11-05 97 minutes ROGP 056 View Interview

Mary Anne Summers was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She worked as a secretary for Delta Airlines, and then as an assistant for the women’s programs at the Southeastern Fair. Constant networking around the state led her to become a secretary for Richard Ashford during the Vandiver administration. During the Sanders administration, she was secretary to Doug Barnard, and assistant to the governor. She then went to work as an assistant to the Georgia Senate, and assisted numerous Georgia Senators with speeches and bills. After that, she worked with the Tourism Committee, and traveled around Georgia. She worked on Charles Weltner’s 1964 campaign for Congress and assisted Zell Miller in his 1974 campaign for lieutenant governor. She became involved with Elliot Levitas’ campaign for the house of representatives, and remained on his staff throughout his time as a Georgia congressman. She is retired and lives in Decatur, Georgia.

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Keith Mason, 2008-11-18 88 minutes ROGP 057 View Interview

Keith Mason was born in Snellville, Georgia in 1960. At a young age, he was involved in political campaigns, volunteering for Jimmy Carter and working for Zell Miller in Miller’s 1974 run for lieutenant governor. He received his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Georgia. He continued to work for Miller, establishing himself as an advisor during Miller’s gubernatorial race in 1990, and becoming Governor Miller’s executive secretary during Miller’s first term. In 1993, he joined President Bill Clinton’s administration, and served as deputy assistant and deputy director for Intergovernmental Affairs, making him the liaison between the White House and state governors. He also served as a transition advisor to Governor Roy Barnes and as an advisor during Miller’s time in the senate. Outside of politics, Mason served from 2001 to 2003 as the chairman of the Board of the Georgia Port Authority. He is currently the CEO of Mason Capital, a real estate investment and development firm.

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David Poythress, 2008-12-08 60 minutes ROGP 058 View Interview

David Poythress was born in Macon, Georgia on October 24, 1943. He received his undergraduate degree in political science and his law degree from Emory University. He spent four years in the U.S. Air Force as a judge advocate officer. Returning to Georgia, he became assistant attorney general in 1971-1972. Jimmy Carter appointed him as deputy commissioner of Revenue in 1972. Under Governor George Busbee, he chaired a committee to study nursing home reimbursement of Medicaid. In 1979, Secretary of State Ben Fortson passed away, and Poythress replaced him in the position he held until 1983. In 1992, he ran a successful campaign for state labor commissioner. He served until 1998, when he made an unsuccessful campaign for Georgia governor. In that same year, he retired from the Air Force Reserves as a brigadier general. Governor Roy Barnes appointed him adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, and he was later reappointed under Sonny Perdue. In 2007, he retired as a lieutenant general. In 2008, he announced his second campaign to run as a Democratic candidate for governor in the 2010 election.

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Thurbert Baker, 2008-12-08 77 minutes ROGP 059 View Interview

Thurbert previous Baker was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina in 1952. He graduated with a degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and in 1974 he earned his law degree from Emory University. Upon graduation, he worked in Fulton County in the public defender’s office. He then worked as a lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency. In 1989, he ran his first campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives, where he subsequently served five terms. He served in the House Judiciary Committee and was Governor Zell Miller’s House floor leader. As floor leader, he helped to pass the state-wide lottery for the HOPE Scholarship. In 1997, Governor Miller appointed him attorney general. He was reelected three times. In that position, he worked to create stronger laws against sexual predators on the Internet and perpetrators of identity theft. In 2009, he announced his plan to run in the 2010 gubernatorial race.

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Harold Murphy, 2008-12-15 65 minutes ROGP 060 View Interview

Harold Lloyd Murphy was born in Felton, Georgia in 1927. He served in the U.S. Navy and attended the University of West Georgia, earning his law degree from the University of Georgia. He first practiced law in Buchanon, Georgia, and then in Tallapoosa, Georgia. In 1950, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, and served until 1961. He also served as an assistant state solicitor general of the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit in 1956. From 1971 to 1977, he served as a superior court judge for the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter nominated him as a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. He has presided over numerous high-profile cases and rulings, including those in regard to Knight v. Alabama (regarding segregation in Alabama’s historically black colleges and universities), Georgia Voter ID, and the Tri-State Crematory Case.

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Shirley Miller, 2008-12-16 78 minutes ROGP 061 View Interview

Shirley Carver Miller was born in Rail Cove, North Carolina, in 1936. She attended Young Harris College, and met Zell Miller at a dance. They married, and moved to the Marine base in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They had two children, Murphy and Matthew. Eventually, they returned to Young Harris, where Zell taught at Young Harris College. Miller worked for the County Board of Education, and then at the Bank of Hiawassee. They moved to Atlanta, and Miller worked for the Nations bank. She worked in various city banks, including Buckhead, Decatur, and Cheshire Bridge. When Zell Miller became lieutenant governor, she left banking and opened various retail clothing stores. When Zell was elected governor of Georgia, Shirley Miller became an active first lady. She took adult literacy as a platform, and campaigned to increase the number of people passing General Education Development tests. Zell was appointed to the U.S. Senate, and they moved to Washington, D.C. Upon his retirement from politics, they moved back to Young Harris.

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Wyche Fowler, 2008-12-18 83 minutes ROGP 062 View Interview

William Wyche Fowler was born in Atlanta, Georgia on October 6, 1940. He attended Davidson College, and worked in intelligence for the U.S. Army. He received his law degree from Emory University and in 1965 he became congressman Charles Weltner’s chief of staff. When Weltner resigned in 1967, Fowler spent a year at the London School of Economics, and then worked as a private attorney for several years. In 1974, he was elected as an Atlanta city councilman, and was eventually elected president of the council. Upon Andrew Young’s resignation, Fowler won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1977. He served on the Ways and Means Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Fowler was also appointed as a charter member of the Intelligence Committee, and was involved with the Boland Amendment. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, defeating incumbent Republican Mack Mattingly. In 1992, he lost his campaign for reelection to Paul Coverdell. He then taught in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. From 1996 to 2001, he served as ambassador to Saudi Arabia under President Bill Clinton. He currently serves on numerous boards, including those of the Carter Center and the Schubert Foundation. He works in the law firm of Powell, Goldstein, Frazer, and Murphy, and serves as board chair of the Middle East Institute.

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Millard Grimes, 2009-01-07 90 minutes ROGP 063 View Interview

Millard Grimes was born in Newnan, Georgia on March 8, 1930. He grew up in LaGrange and Columbus. In high school, he worked at the Columbus Ledger as a copy boy, quickly moving to proofreader and then to sports writer. At the University of Georgia, he worked as an editor for The Red and Black, and graduated from UGA with a degree in journalism in 1951. He returned to the Columbus Ledger as associate news editor, and in 1955 the newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for documenting corruption in Phenix City, Alabama. He then served as publishing chief executive officer at numerous newspapers, including the Opelika-Auburn News and the Rockdale Citizen. In 1991, he entered magazine publishing when he purchased the Georgia Journal and Georgia Trend. In 1999, he sold Georgia Trend, and funded the Millard B. Grimes Laboratory for Excellence in Print Journalism at the University of Georgia. He currently serves on Franklin D. Roosevelt Warm Springs Memorial advisory board, and lives in Athens.

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Carlton Colwell, 2009-01-14 66 minutes ROGP 064 View Interview

Carlton Colwell was born in Blairsville, Georgia on June 27, 1926. He worked for General Motors for twelve years, until Jim Gillis asked him to run for the Georgia Senate. Despite winning the primary, redistricting prohibited him from serving. In 1964, he ran a successful campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives. He represented several North Georgia mountain counties for thirty years. Colwell served on various committees, including Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Fiscal Affairs. He served as chairman of the State Institution and Property Committee, and oversaw the prison system in Georgia. Speaker Murphy appointed him to the constitutional revision commission, and he helped rewrite the Georgia Constitution. Upon leaving politics, numerous highways, prison facilities, and technical schools in North Georgia were funded by and named after Colwell.

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Jim Martin, 2009-01-21 80 minutes ROGP 065 View Interview

James Francis “Jim” Martin was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 22, 1945. He attended the University of Georgia, where he served in ROTC and was elected freshman class president. He served in Vietnam in the U.S. Army. Upon his return from the war, he earned a bachelor’s degree and two law degrees from the University of Georgia. After graduation, he obtained work as a lawyer in legislative council, drafting legislation for the legislature. He then worked for Legal Aid, representing low income families. In 1983, he ran for office, and was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a progressive Democrat. He served as a chairman of numerous committees, including Human Services Subcommittee for Appropriations, MARTOC, Ethics, and Judiciary. In 2001, he left the legislature and was appointed commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Resources by Governor Roy Barnes. There, he worked to improve hospital conditions for the mentally disabled. From 2004 to 2005, he served as chief legal officer of the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council. In 2006, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor. He then helped develop the Master’s Program in Public Policy at the Georgia State University Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. In 2008, he ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Saxby Chambliss, and was defeated in a runoff. He currently resides in Atlanta.

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Eric Tanenblatt, 2009-01-21 55 minutes ROGP 066 View Interview

Eric J. Tanenblatt was born in 1966 in Long Island, New York. He graduated from Emory University with a degree in economics. He immediately started as a campaign worker for George Bush, and organized college campuses. There, he met and worked with Senator Paul Coverdell. When Bush was elected President, Tanenblatt moved to Washington, D.C. to work in the administration. He served as a special assistant to Secretary Louis Sullivan in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He was then appointed director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Peace Corps, serving as its liaison to the White House. In 1992, he directed Paul Coverdell’s senate campaign, and served as his state director in Georgia. In 1998, he served as vice chairman of Coverdell’s reelection campaign. In 2000, he served as chairman of George H.W. Bush’s campaign in Georgia. After his election, Tanenblatt joined the law firm of McKenna, Long & Aldridge. In 2001, he left to serve as Governor Sonny Perdue’s chief of staff. In 2004, he served as finance chairman for Perdue’s reelection campaign. He then returned to his law practice, where he focuses on governmental affairs. President Bush appointed him to the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. He is the founder of Hands on Georgia, a program dedicated to promoting volunteerism.

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George Hooks, 2009-01-27 58 minutes ROGP 067 View Interview

George Hooks was born May 9, 1945 in Sumter County, Georgia. He graduated from Auburn University, and holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Mercer University. In 1980, he was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives. Under Governor Joe Frank Harris, he served as the assistant administration floor leader. He served five terms in the house, and was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1991. Hooks was appointed chairman of the Rules Committee, and then chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Hooks is also a member of many standing committees, including the Senate-House Budgetary Responsibility Committee, the Senate-House Legislative Services Committee, and the Reapportionment Committee. He remains in the senate, and owns an insurance and real estate firm in Americus.

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Glenn Anthony, 2009-01-29 45 minutes ROGP 068 View Interview

Glenn Anthony was born in Lenoir City, Tennessee in 1924. He attended the University of Tennessee and studied journalism. He transferred to Florida State University, and graduated in 1952. He first worked for a company newspaper at the Oakridge National Laboratory in Oakridge, Tennessee. After his marriage, he started work at the Palm Beach Post Times in Florida. When he reported for the United Press International, he covered various civil rights groups in Alabama and Tennessee. He entered politics when he went to work for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, lobbying for business interests. He was involved in establishing numerous programs, including Stay and See Georgia, a travel program. He lobbied for over twenty years with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Forest Association. Glenn Anthony is retired and lives in Vinings, Georgia.

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Marie Barnes, 2009-01-29 78 minutes ROGP 069 View Interview

Marie Dobbs Barnes was born June 13, 1948 in Cobb County. She attended Kennesaw State University and graduated from the University of Georgia in 1969. She married Roy Barnes in 1970. In 1974, Roy ran a successful campaign for the Georgia State Senate; Marie was active in this and subsequent campaigns, while also raising their three children. Roy Barnes was elected governor in 1998, and Marie became an active advocate for early childhood education. She began the Georgia Early Learning Initiative, which created early childcare learning facilities, and Safe Kids Georgia, which checked the safety of car seats. In 2003, following Roy’s unsuccessful bid for a second term, Roy and Marie Barnes returned to Marietta.

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Harold G. Clarke, 2009-02-02 74 minutes ROGP 070 View Interview

Harold G. Clarke was born September 28, 1927 in Forsyth, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia before being drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II. He was the managing editor of the Stars and Stripes while stationed in Japan. He returned to the University of Georgia, and earned his law degree in 1950. In 1960, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a Democrat. In the legislature, he authored several bills and plans, including Abolish Atlanta and the Clarke Plan. In 1966, he participated in the legislative initiative to elect Governor Lester Maddox over Bo Callaway. He left the legislature to practice law in Forsyth. In 1979, he was appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court, where he handled several important cases and issues. He then joined Troutman Sanders LLP, and chaired the joint commission on alternative dispute resolution. He is retired.

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George Berry, 2009-02-02 62 minutes ROGP 071 View Interview

George J. Berry was born in Blairsville, Georgia on July 5, 1937. He attended Young Harris College. Upon discharge from the U.S. Army in 1962, he went to work in the finance department of the city of Atlanta. Berry was chosen to be the deputy chief administrative officer in Mayor Ivan Allen's administration. Mayor Sam Massell promoted him to chief administrative officer during Atlanta's critical transition from primarily white to mixed race leadership. Under Mayor Maynard Jackson, Berry was appointed commissioner of Aviation in 1978. There, he oversaw the development of terminals and runways in the Atlanta Airport. In 1983, Berry became the commissioner of Industry, Trade and Tourism for the state of Georgia. He remained in that position until 1990, when he ran an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor. He left politics, and became senior vice president of Cousins Properties, Inc., a successful property development firm in Atlanta. He retired in 2004, and remains on the boards of several business organizations.

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Ed Johnson, 2009-02-03 95 minutes ROGP 072 View Interview

Edward H. Johnson was born September 9, 1948 in Grantville, Coweta County, Georgia. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgia State University. He earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University, and his LL.M. degree from the University of Virginia. Johnson served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol. In 1974, Johnson went to work for Zell Miller’s campaign for lieutenant governor. Upon Miller’s election, Johnson was appointed as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 1977, Johnson was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia State Senate, where he served until 1980. After his departure, he held numerous legal and judicial posts, and in 1998, he was appointed to the Court of Appeals, where he still serves.

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Dubose Porter, 2009-02-24 59 minutes ROGP 073 View Interview

DuBose Porter was born October 2, 1953 in Dublin, Georgia. He attended Davidson College and received a bachelor’s degree in English. He interned in Washington, D.C. with Senator Sam Nunn, and went on to receive his law degree from the Cumberland Law School at Samford University. He returned home to Dublin and founded the law firm of Nelson & Porter. In 1982, he ran a successful campaign as a Democrat for the Georgia House of Representatives, a position he continues to hold. In 1987, Porter and Griffin Lovett bought Dublin’s daily newspaper, The Courier Herald. Porter oversees the business and publishing aspect of the paper. He and Lovett went on to purchase various other papers, including The Soperton News, The Johnson Journal, and The Baldwin Bulletin. In 1991 and 1992, he served as Governor Miller’s administration floor leader in the legislature. In 2003, he was elected speaker pro tempore in Congress. In 2005, he was elected leader of the Democratic Caucus of the house of representatives. He currently serves on numerous committees, including Appropriations, Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Ethics, and Rules. He served as a member of Governor Miller’s Preservation 2000 Committee, and as Chairman of Education and Higher Education. In 2010 he ran for governor of Georgia in 2010.

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George T. Smith, 2009-02-25 104 minutes ROGP 074 View Interview

George Thornewell Smith was born in Camilla, Mitchell County, Georgia on October 15, 1916. He attended Middle Georgia College and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. In 1940, he joined the U.S. Navy, and after two years was placed on the Naval Land Force Equipment Depot. He left the military in 1945, and returned home. In 1948, he graduated from the University of Georgia Law School and went into private practice in Cairo, Georgia. He served as city attorney, county attorney, solicitor of the State Court, and attorney for the Grady County Board of Education. In 1958, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1963, he was appointed speaker of the house. He successfully campaigned for lieutenant governor in 1966, but was defeated for reelection by Lester Maddox in 1970. Smith went into private practice in Marietta, Georgia, and made an unsuccessful run for governor in 1974. In 1976, he was elected to the Georgia Court of Appeals, and in 1980, he was elected Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Smith was the only man to serve in all three branches of the government – legislative, executive, and judicial. Currently, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Appellate Judges Conference.

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Fletcher Thompson, 2009-04-06 108 minutes ROGP 075 View Interview

Standish Fletcher Thompson was born in College Park, Georgia on February 5, 1925. During World War II, he joined the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and then transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he served as a navigator for the Air Rescue Service. Thompson graduated from Emory University in 1949. During the Korean War, he served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He graduated from the Woodrow Wilson College of Law in 1957, practicing in East Point, Georgia. In 1964, he was elected as a Republican to the Georgia General Assembly as a state senator. In 1966, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served in the two succeeding congresses, but was unsuccessful in a bid for reelection in 1972, returning to his law practice in Atlanta. He is currently retired in Marietta, Georgia.

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Aubrey Morris, 2009-04-08 105 minutes ROGP 076 View Interview

Aubrey R. Morris was born in 1922 in Roswell, Georgia, and grew up writing for the local newspaper. He attended the University of Georgia and studied journalism. He worked as an intern for the Atlanta Journal, and edited the UGA yearbook. On the day of his college graduation, he started as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal, and covered Atlanta and city hall. He also started the first public information office at the state transportation department. After thirteen years at the Journal, he joined WSB-TV, and helped to develop the first radio news department in Georgia. He covered the major events, state-wide, national, and international, of the day, including desegregation, the Vietnam War, and Martin Luther King, Jr. He served thirty years as news and editorial director at WSB, retiring in 1987. Aubrey Morris died April 14, 2010.

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Lewis Massey, 2009-04-16 53 minutes ROGP 077 View Interview

Lewis Massey was born in Gainesville, Georgia, in 1962. The son of Abit Massey, director of the Georgia Poultry Federation, Lewis grew up in politics. He majored in finance at the University of Georgia, and was active in student government. He was a driver for the first African-American Chief Justice in Georgia, Robert Benham. Upon graduation, he worked with a financial planning company, and then helped Joe Frank Harris campaign for governor. In 1990, he went to work with Pierre Howard’s campaign for lieutenant governor. Howard was elected, and Massey was appointed chief of staff. In 1994, he successfully managed his campaign for reelection. Governor Zell Miller appointed Massey to the position of Georgia secretary of state upon Max Cleland’s resignation. In 1996, Massey won a successful reelection campaign. As secretary of state, he devised bills to stop telemarketing fraud, and to pass the first Voter ID law. In 1998, he campaigned for governor, but came second to Roy Barnes. He currently works for Massey & Bowers LLC, a company focusing in public affairs counsel.

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Charles Campbell, 2009-05-14 96 minutes ROGP 078 View Interview

Charles Campbell was born in 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in Jackson, Georgia. He attended Emory University, and graduated from the University of Georgia. He met Senator Richard B. Russell when he introduced him for a Blue Key speech at UGA. He went to work as Russell’s legislative assistant in Washington, D.C., and eventually became his executive secretary. Upon Senator Russell’s death in 1971, Campbell returned to Georgia and practiced law in Atlanta while remaining involved in politics and managing campaigns for Herman Talmadge. Campbell retired from the law firm of McKenna, Long and Aldridge in 2009, ranked among America’s top 100 lawyers.

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Max Cleland, 2009-05-05 116 minutes ROGP 079 View Interview

Joseph Maxwell Cleland was born in Atlanta, Georgia on August 24, 1942. He grew up in Lithonia, Georgia and graduated from Stetson University with a degree in history. He first became interested in politics during his Washington Semester Program. In 1965, he was asked by Senator Richard B. Russell to become a congressional intern. He received his masters from Emory University. Cleland then joined the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Silver Star for valorous conduct in battle. At the Battle of Khe Sanh in 1968, he was severely wounded by a grenade, resulting in the amputation of both legs and his right forearm. In 1971, he was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia Senate. In 1974, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor. From 1977 to 1981, he served as administrator of the U.S. Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter. In 1982, he ran a successful campaign for Georgia secretary of state, and served in that office for fourteen years. In 1996, Senator Sam Nunn retired, and Cleland won Nunn’s seat. He lost his bid for reelection in 2002 to Saxby Chambliss. He then taught at American University, and campaigned for John Kerry in his 2004 presidential election. In 2009, he was appointed by President Obama to serve as secretary of the American Battle Monuments.

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Bob Holmes, 2009-05-13 78 minutes ROGP 080 View Interview

Robert A. “Bob” Holmes was born in Shepherdstown, West Virginia in 1943. He grew up in New York and West Virginia, and attended Shepherd College. He received his masters and Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University. In 1968, he served as the coordinator for the Harvard-Yale-Columbia Intensive Summer Studies Program at Columbia University. Holmes then went to Louisiana and taught as an assistant professor at Southern University from 1969 to 1970. In 1970, he worked as an administrator and as director of SEEK – Search for Elevation, Education and Knowledge – for the Bernard Baruch City University of New York. In 1971, he was invited to teach as a professor in the political science department of Clark Atlanta University. In Atlanta, Holmes became active in a variety of political issues and campaigns. In 1974, he ran and was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a Democrat. He was the first African-American to serve on the Budget Subcommittee. In 1989, he became director of the Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy, researching international political issues. He promoted election law reform and co-sponsored Motor Voter legislation. In 1990, he was appointed chairman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. In 2005, he retired from Clark Atlanta University. Holmes remains in the Georgia General Assembly, and has co-sponsored over two hundred laws.

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Steve Wrigley, 2009-05-20 100 minutes ROGP 081 View Interview

Steve W. Wrigley was born in Kansas and moved to Atlanta at a young age. He earned his undergraduate degree from Georgia State University and his masters and doctorate degrees from Northwestern University. In 1987, Wrigley worked as a senior policy analyst for the Georgia State Senate, and advised Senator Zell Miller on the Mountain Protection Act. When Miller was elected lieutenant governor, Wrigley served as his executive assistant. From 1993 to 1998, he served as chief of staff for Governor Miller. Wrigley worked on Miller’s various issues, including the HOPE Scholarship, pre-kindergarten programs, and the Georgia Research Alliance. In 1998, he joined the University of Georgia system, becoming the first director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s International Center for Democratic Governance. As director, he helped to develop training programs in several countries. In 2000, he was named UGA’s vice president for government relations, overseeing connections between UGA and federal, state, and local government. In 2002, Wrigley was appointed interim vice president for external affairs, and later permanent vice president. Wrigley returned to his former position as director of the Vinson Institute in 2006, where he continues to serve today.

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Bill Lee, 2009-06-05 58 minutes ROGP 082 View Interview

William J. “Bill” Lee was born in Forest Park, Georgia on December 15, 1925. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946. In 1960, he earned his law degree from Atlanta Law School. In 1956, he was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives. He continued to serve for forty-two years, making his the longest uninterrupted run in the house by any representative. As a congressman, he served as chairman of the Rules Committee and of the House Democratic Caucus. In 1965, the Board of Regents authorized the establishment of three junior colleges, and Lee secured one for Clayton County in 1969. This eventually became the four-year Clayton State University. In 1998, he declined to run again, and worked as an aide to Speaker Tom Murphy. In 2002, Murphy was defeated, and Lee retired from politics.

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J. Roy Rowland, 2009-06-30 80 minutes ROGP 083 View interview

James Roy Rowland was born in Wrightsville, Georgia on February 3, 1926. He attended Emory at Oxford in 1943. He then joined the U.S. Army and served in World War II. In 1946, he attended South Georgia College and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia. In 1952, he received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. He practiced medicine in Dublin, Georgia from 1952 to 1982. He was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives, and served there from 1976 to 1982. He served on several committees, including Health and Ecology, Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Judicial, and Rules. In 1982, he ran a successful campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, and served in five succeeding congresses, retiring in 1995.

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Tyrone Brooks, 2009-09-02 103 minutes ROGP 085 View interview

Tyrone L. Brooks was born in Washington, Georgia on October 10, 1945. He grew up in Warrenton, and at age fifteen volunteered with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Brooks attended Howard University, Atlanta University, and The Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 1967, he became a full-time staffer at SCLC. In 1980, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a Democrat, and continues to serve there. He has sat on numerous committees, including Economic Development and Tourism, Governmental Affairs and Retirement, and Appropriations. Brooks is currently president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, and a member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus.

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Lonnie King, 2009-09-28 93 minutes ROGP 086 View interview

Lonnie King was born in Arlington, Georgia. He was raised in Atlanta and served in the U.S. Navy. He left the Navy in 1957, returned to Atlanta, and earned his degree from Morehouse College. In 1960 he was present at the founding of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee at Shaw University. On March 9, 1960, King and SNCC published An Appeal for Human Rights as an advertisement in various Atlanta newspapers. A critical document of the Civil Rights Movement, the Appeal called for complete racial desegregation by peaceful and nonviolent means. King currently teaches at Georgia State University.

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Tom Houck, 2009-09-28 87 minutes ROGP 087 View interview

Thomas Houck was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on August 21, 1947. He dropped out of high school at age 15 and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to work under Hosea Williams. In 1965, he met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a meeting of the SCLC, and in 1966 he came to Atlanta and became the King family’s personal driver. Later, he became an organizer for the SCLC, and was active in numerous demonstrations and marches. His case, Houck and Williams vs. Birmingham-Jefferson County, led to the desegregation of Southern jails. Houck went on to help campaign for various Atlanta mayors and governors, including Maynard Jackson and Zell Miller, and started doing commentary for WGST Radio. He then went on to host various politically-oriented radio and television shows, retiring from full time broadcasting in 2001. Houck currently runs a political and media strategy company.

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Willie Bolden, 2009-10-07 81 minutes ROGP 088 View interview

Willie Bolden was born in Sumter, South Carolina on December 7, 1938. He was raised in Savannah, Georgia. He served in the U.S. Marines. Inspired by Hosea Williams and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was the “Wagon Master” for the Mule Train on the Poor People’s Campaign, preparing cities for Dr. King’s arrival. Bolden was also active in Williams’ Summer Community Organization for Political Education (SCOPE), a program designed to recruit white students to help with the movement. In 1972, he earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. He served with the labor movement from 1973 to 1979. He then worked as the director of personnel for the Atlanta Public Library until 1983. He currently serves as pastor of the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta.

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Matt Towery, 2009-10-16 101 minutes ROGP 089 View interview

Matthew Towery was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1959. While still in elementary school he became acquainted with and an unofficial page for Governor Lester Maddox, and continued in an official capacity during Maddox’s term as lieutenant governor. He attended the University of Georgia, and in 1980 became a speech writer in Mattingly’s successful run for senate. He received a degree in foreign affairs at Cambridge University, and graduated from Stetson University Law School in England. In 1989 with the encouragement of Newt Gingrich, Towery started the Campaign for Georgia’s Future, and the next year ran an unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor. In 1992, he served as Gingrich’s campaign chairman for his successful race for the U.S. House of Representatives. Towery won a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives, making him the first Republican to preside over the Democratic House. He left politics in 1997. He was CEO of Color Graphics, a printing company, and sold it in 1997. He then served as chairman and CEO of InsiderAdvantage.com.

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Pierre Howard, 2009-11-16 130 minutes ROGP 090 View interview

Pierre Howard was born in Decatur, Georgia on February 3, 1943. He earned his undergraduate degree (1965) and law degree (1968) from the University of Georgia. In 1972, he was elected to the Georgia Senate as a Democrat. He continued to be reelected until 1988. In 1974, Governor George Busbee appointed him assistant floor leader of the senate, a position he held for eight years. Howard proposed numerous acts of legislation, including the Community Care Act. Governor Zell Miller appointed him chairman of the Senate Human Resources Committee. He served there for sixteen years. In 1990, Howard was elected lieutenant governor, and served under Governor Miller for two terms. As lieutenant governor, he focused on promoting laws against drinking and driving. Roy Barnes appointed him to the Board of the Natural Resources Committee, which he chaired for three years. He also joined the faculty of the University of Georgia Ecology Department, and was president of Georgia Conservancy.

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Chuck Clay, 2009-11-17 45 minutes ROGP 091 View interview

Charles C. “Chuck” Clay was born in Tampa, Florida on December 23, 1950. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He received his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Upon graduation, he went to work as assistant solicitor in Marietta. He went on to become district attorney, and then, in 1986, commissioner, for Cobb County. In 1988, Clay was elected to the Georgia State Senate as a Republican. After his election, Clay served as chairman of the Cobb County Legislative Delegation and minority leader. He went on to serve six terms in the senate. In 2000 he was chairman of the Georgia Republican Party during George W. Bush’s campaign for the presidency. He is a partner at the law firm of Brock Clay, LLC.

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McCracken Poston, 2009-11-24 144 minutes ROGP 092 View interview

McCracken King Poston was born in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia on October 24, 1959, and was raised in Graysville, Georgia. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee in 1982, and graduated from the University of Georgia Law School in 1985. During law school, he campaigned for Buddy Darden’s run for congress. Upon graduation, he worked as an assistant district attorney in the Lookout Mountain Circuit. In 1988, he ran a successful campaign for the house of representatives. In 1996 he left the Georgia General Assembly and made an unsuccessful run for congress against Republican Nathan Deal. Poston returned to Ringgold, Georgia to practice law, and serve as juvenile court judge on the Lookout Mountain Circuit. As a criminal defense attorney, Poston famously and successfully defended Alvin Ridley, who had been charged with imprisoning and killing his wife, and Ray Brent Marsh, in the Tri-state Crematory case.

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Harry Dixon, 2009-12-1 111 minutes ROGP 093 View interview

Harry Donival Dixon was born in Ware County, Georgia on March 24, 1925. He grew up in a railroad family, and worked as a locomotive engine man on the Atlantic Coast Line. In 1943, he entered U.S. Maritime Service and served in World War II. He was discharged in 1946, and returned to Waycross, Georgia and the railroad. In 1952, he was promoted to engineer. In 1963, he was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia House of Representatives. He served as chairman of Regulated Beverages for 27 years, and rewrote many of Georgia’s liquor laws. Dixon served on the State Board of Transportation. He served in the Georgia House for 38 years.

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Ford Spinks, 2009-12-2 73 minutes ROGP 094 View interview

Ford B. Spinks was born in Tifton, Georgia on April 5, 1927. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Upon returning from the war, he attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC). In 1962, he ran a successful campaign twice – due to reapportionment – for Georgia State Senate. He continued in the Georgia Senate, and served in many committees until leaving the senate in 1971. He supported Jimmy Carter through many campaigns, and was appointed public service commissioner in 1971, a post he held until 1989. Outside of politics, he was a farm equipment dealer and served as director of the Bank of Tifton and chairman of the Coastal Plain Area Tourism Council.

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Powell Moore, 2009-12-8 116 minutes ROGP 095 View interview

Powell A. Moore was born in Milledgeville, Georgia on January 5, 1938. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1959 with a degree in journalism. He then served in the U.S. Army and toured in Germany, and was present during the construction of the Berlin Wall. He returned to Georgia and worked for the Southern Natural Gas Company. He began his career in politics in 1966, when Senator Richard B. Russell appointed him as his press secretary. After Russell’s death, Moore went to work in the Justice Department as deputy director of Public Information under President Nixon. He then developed a foundation client and consulting business called the Marketing Corporation of America. In 1981, he was appointed to serve President Ronald Reagan as deputy assistant to the president for Legislative Affairs. In 1982, he was appointed assistant secretary of state for Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs. In 1998, he became chief of staff for Senator Fred Thompson in Tennessee. Moore was later sworn in as assistant secretary of defense for Legislative Affairs under President Bush in 2001. In 2006, he was appointed representative of the U.S. Secretary of Defense to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and in this capacity was stationed in Vienna, Austria. He remained in this post until 2009. In 2010 he joined Venable LLP in Washington, D.C.

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Hank Huckaby, 2009-12-8 104 minutes ROGP 096 View interview

Henry M. “Hank” Huckaby was born in Griffin, Georgia on December 13, 1941. He attended Young Harris College, and then Georgia State University. In 1964, he volunteered for Zell Miller’s unsuccessful campaign for Congress. He worked as an assistant dean of admissions at Georgia State for four years. In 1973, he went to work under Governor Jimmy Carter’s administration in the Office of Planning and Budget, serving in subsequent years as director of the Senate Research Office and deputy commissioner of the new Department of Community Affairs. In 1980, Huckaby was selected to be chairman of the Georgia Residential Finance Authority, and served there for the next ten years. Under Governor Miller, he served as director of the Office of Budget and Planning. Upon leaving political life, he went to work in the Policy Research Center at Georgia State University, and in 1997 he became director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. In 2000, he was appointed senior vice president in Finance and Administration at the University of Georgia. He retired from UGA in 2006. In 2010, he announced his plan to campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives as a Republican.

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Chuck Clay, 2009-12-16 65 minutes ROGP 097 View interview

Charles C. “Chuck” Clay was born in Tampa, Florida on December 23, 1950. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He received his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Upon graduation, he went to work as assistant solicitor in Marietta. He went on to become district attorney, and then, in 1986, commissioner, for Cobb County. In 1988, Clay was elected to the Georgia State Senate as a Republican. After his election, Clay served as chairman of the Cobb County Legislative Delegation and minority leader. He went on to serve six terms in the senate. In 2000 he was chairman of the Georgia Republican Party during George W. Bush’s campaign for the presidency. He is a partner at the law firm of Brock Clay, LLC.

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Stephanie Benfield, 2009-12-18 44 minutes ROGP 098 View interview

Ethel Stephanie Stuckey Benfield was born in Eastman, Georgia on December 25, 1965. The daughter of Congressman Bill Stuckey, Benfield grew up in Washington, D.C. She earned a B.A. from the University of Georgia in 1989, and received her law degree from UGA in 1992. While building her own practice, Stuckey and Manheimer, she worked as legislative aide and attorney to Georgia Senator Mary Margaret Oliver. In 1998, she ran a successful campaign for the Georgia State House of Representatives, currently representing District 85.

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Mary Margaret Oliver, 2009-12-18 49 minutes ROGP 099 View interview

Mary Margaret Oliver was born March 7, 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. She earned her B.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1969 and graduated from Emory University Law School in 1973. Oliver served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1987-1992, and the Georgia Senate from 1993-1998. When Oliver was elected to the senate, she was appointed to chair the Judiciary Committee during her freshman term, and was the first woman to chair the Committee in 40 years. In 2002, Oliver ran successfully for the Georgia House, and represents District 83. Oliver practices law in Decatur and teaches at Emory University.

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Peter Banks, 2010-1-29 131 minutes ROGP 100 View interview

Peter Louis Banks was born in Barnesville, Lamar Co., Georgia on Aug. 12, 1938. He graduated from Gordon Military College in 1958 and in 1963 graduated with a law degree from the University of Georgia. While earning his law degree he worked as a congressional intern for U.S. Representative John James Flynt, Jr. from Georgia. After graduating from law school, he worked as an attorney for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. He was elected to the Georgia Senate as a Democrat in 1974 and served for four years. In 1978 he ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress, losing in the Democratic primary to Virginia Shapard. He was elected mayor of Barnesville, Georgia in 2007.

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Dan Ebersole, 2010-2-1 78 minutes ROGP 101 View interview

W. Daniel Ebersole was born in Pennsylvania. In 1974 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work as a volunteer aide to Atlanta city council member, Charles Helms. Through Helms he met Zell Miller, with whom he would have a long relationship. He worked on Miller’s campaigns for lieutenant governor and U.S. Senate against Senator Herman Talmadge in 1980. From 1980-1990 he was a policy analyst and director of the Georgia Senate Research Office. In the 1990’s he was deputy director of the Office of Planning and Budget and Senior Executive Assistant to Governor Zell Miller. Ebersole has also been the commissioner of the Georgia Merit System. From 1997-2010 he was the director of the Georgia Office of Treasury and Fiscal Services.

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Dick Pettys, 2010-2-1 76 minutes ROGP 102 View Interview

Richard Pettys was born on November 25, 1946, in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia, where he worked on the student newspaper, The Red and Black. In 1965 when he began working for three newspapers in Gwinnett County, which would soon become the Gwinnett Daily News. In 1969 he joined the Associated Press, and the next year was named capitol correspondent for Georgia. Considered the “Dean” of the Capitol Press Corps, he covered every governor from Lester Maddox to Sonny Perdue, and 40 legislative sessions. Pettys retired from the Associated Press in 2005 and went to work for Insider Advantage Georgia, an online political and business newsletter.

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Reid Harris, 2010-2-8 56 minutes ROGP 103 View Interview

Reid Walker Harris was born July 6, 1930 in Brunswick, Georgia. He earned a B.A. degree in political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1952, graduated from the U.S. Army Russian Language School at the Presidio, and earned his law degree from Emory University in 1958. Harris was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1964 and served for six years. During this time he worked on achieving the independence of the legislature, and was the principal author of several laws concerning conservation of the coast lands, including the Georgia Surface Mining Act and the Coastal Marshland Protection Act. Harris served as head of the environmental section of Governor Jimmy Carter’s Goals for Georgia program and later as chairman of the governor’s State Environmental Council. Reid Harris is retired and lives on St. Simons Island.

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Reg Murphy, 2010-2-9 96 minutes ROGP 104 View Interview

John Reginald "Reg" Murphy was born in 1934 in Gainesville, Georgia. He attended Mercer University in Macon, and worked for the Macon Telegraph. In 1955 he opened the Atlanta bureau of the Macon Telegraph. He was chosen to be a Neiman Fellow at Harvard in 1959, and in 1961 went to work for the Atlanta Constitution as political editor. He became managing editor of Atlanta magazine in 1965, and returned to the Constitution in 1968, succeeding Ralph McGill as editor. In 1975 Murphy left Georgia for the San Francisco Examiner, and in 1981 went to the Baltimore Sun. In 1996 he joined the National Geographic Society as president and chief executive. In 1999 his biography of Griffin Bell, Uncommon Sense: The Achievement of Griffin Bell was published. Reg Murphy is retired and lives in Sea Island, Georgia.

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Cynthia Wright, 2010-2-17 28 minutes ROGP 105 View Interview

Cynthia Diane Wright was born June 8, 1954, in Tallahassee, Florida. She graduated magna cum laude from Wesleyan College, Macon, Georgia in 1974 and received her juris doctorate in law from the University of Georgia in 1977. As a law student, she pursued her interest in politics, public policy and law by interning with U.S. Senator Sam Nunn from Georgia. After graduating from law school, Judge Wright served as a research associate with the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government. She also practiced law as an associate with the law firm of Troutman Sanders and as a partner in the law firm of Corlew, Smith and Wright. She served as corporate counsel to the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority and was assistant legal counsel to Governor George Busbee from 1978-1980. She also served as chief legal counsel to Governor Zell Miller during his first term, from 1991-1195. During that time, she authored the legislation and constitutional amendment which established the Lottery for Education. She served as a Judge of the State Court of Fulton County. In 1996, Gov. Miller appointed her as Judge of the Superior Court of Fulton County where she currently serves as Chief Judge.

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Cathey Steinberg, 2010-2-24 89 minutes ROGP 106 View Interview

Cathey Weiss Steinberg was born in October 6, 1942 in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania. Steinberg received a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie-Mellon Institute in 1964 and a master’s degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1965. A Democrat, she served in the Georgia General Assembly for sixteen years in both the Georgia House of Representatives (1977-1989) and in the Georgia Senate (1991-1993). She is recognized as a strong advocate for women’s rights. She was the primary sponsor of the 1981-1982 Equal Rights Amendment legislation. From 1993 -1999, she was the managing partner for Ahead of the Curve, a public policy consulting and advocacy training firm. In 1999, Governor Roy Barnes appointed Cathey Steinberg as Georgia’s first Consumer Insurance Advocate. She held that position until 2003. Steinberg later served as the executive director of the Juvenile Justice Fund, a non-profit child advocacy organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been a consultant in public and community relations and marketing, and a frequent guest speaker and lecturer.

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Betty Vandiver, 2010-2-25 20 minutes ROGP 107 View Interview

Sybil Elizabeth "Betty" Russell Vandiver was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1925. The niece of Richard B. Russell, she grew up in Winder, Georgia. In 1947, she graduated from the University of Georgia and married Samuel Ernest Vandiver of Lavonia, Georgia, with whom she had three children. She helped him successfully campaign for lieutenant governor, a post Vandiver was elected to in 1954. In 1958, Vandiver was elected governor of Georgia. As first lady, Betty Vandiver was instrumental in setting up Milledgeville's Central State Hospital, Georgia's first mental institution. Ernest Vandiver’s subsequent campaigns for governor (1966) and U.S. Senate (1972) proved unsuccessful, and the Vandivers retired from politics. They remained active in the business and community affairs of Lavonia.

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Jane Kidd, 2010-2-25 60 minutes ROGP 108 View Interview

Jane Brevard Vandiver Kidd was born February 12, 1953. As the daughter of Georgia Governor S. Ernest Vandiver (1959-1963) and grand-niece of Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr., Kidd was involved in politics early, serving as chair of Youth for Herman Talmadge in Talmadge’s 1968 Senate campaign, and campaigning for her father during his 1972 US Senate campaign. She graduated from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism in 1975, and in 1980 she won a seat on the Lavonia City Council, which she kept for three terms. In 1992 she was Don Johnson’s campaign manager in his successful run for congress, and served as Johnson’s district director. In 2004 Kidd was elected to the state house, serving for one term before mounting an unsuccessful bid for a state senate seat. In 2007 she was elected chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia. She lives in Athens, Georgia and is a public relations consultant specializing in higher education.

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Milton Jones, 2010-3-19 99 minutes ROGP 109 View Interview

Milton Jones was born on August 13, 1936 in Columbus, Muscogee Co., Georgia. He graduated from Columbus High School in 1954 and then from Emory at Oxford in 1956. He earned a bachelor’s degree in law in 1958 from Emory University and a law degree in 1959. He served in the United States Army Reserves from 1954 -1962, retiring as a Sergeant 1st class. A Democrat, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1963 and served until 1970. In 1974, Governor Jimmy Carter appointed him to the University System of Georgia Board of Regents where he served, including as chairman, until 1981.

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Tom Buck, 2010-3-31 69 minutes ROGP 110 View Interview

Thomas Bryant Buck III was born on March 2, 1938, in Columbus, Georgia. He graduated from Columbus High School in 1955 and went on to receive a bachelor's degree in 1959 and a law degree in 1962 from Emory University in Atlanta. A conservative Democrat, Buck was first elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1966. He served for thirty-eight years in the Georgia House of Representatives, one of the longest tenures of any lawmaker in the state's history. Buck was an effective advocate for Columbus and west Georgia because of his position in the legislative leadership. He became a committee chairman during his third year in the house, and worked his way steadily up the house leadership ladder, serving in turn as chairman of the Retirement Committee, the University System Committee, and the powerful Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees. He was widely respected by fellow legislators for his expertise on the state budget along with his deep knowledge of tax law and policy. In 2004, Buck retired from political office after nineteen legislative sessions. He continues to practice law in Columbus and became a lobbyist for that city’s government.

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