John Hardy Isakson(December 28, 1944 – December 19, 2021) was an American businessman and politician who served as aUnited States senatorfromGeorgiafrom 2005 to 2019. A member of theRepublican Party,he previously served in theGeorgia legislatureand theUnited States House of Representatives.
Johnny Isakson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2014 | |
| United States Senator fromGeorgia | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – December 31, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Zell Miller |
| Succeeded by | Kelly Loeffler |
| Chair of theSenate Veterans Affairs Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – December 19, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Bernie Sanders |
| Succeeded by | Jerry Moran |
| Chair of theSenate Ethics Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – December 19, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Barbara Boxer |
| Succeeded by | James Lankford |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's6thdistrict | |
| In office February 23, 1999 – January 3, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Newt Gingrich |
| Succeeded by | Tom Price |
| Member of theGeorgia State Senate from the 21st district | |
| In office January 11, 1993 – January 6, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | William F. English[1] |
| Succeeded by | Robert Lamutt[2] |
| Minority Leaderof theGeorgia House of Representatives | |
| In office January 10, 1983 – January 11, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Jones Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Paul Heard |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives fromCobb County | |
| In office January 10, 1977 – January 11, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Charles W. Edwards |
| Succeeded by | Lynda Coker |
| Constituency | 20-Post 1 (1977–1983) 21-Post 2 (1983–1991) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Hardy Isakson December 28, 1944 Atlanta,Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | December 19, 2021(aged 76) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Dianne Davison (m.1968) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Georgia(BBA) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1966–1972 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Unit | Georgia Air National Guard |
Born inAtlanta,Georgia, Isakson served in theGeorgia Air National Guard(1966–1972) and graduated from theUniversity of Georgia.He opened a real estate branch for Northside Realty and later served 22 years as the company's president. After a failed bid for theGeorgia House of Representativesin 1974, he was elected in 1976. He served seven terms, including four as minority leader. Isakson was the Republican candidate forgovernor of Georgiain1990,but lost. Two years later, he was elected to theGeorgia Senateand served one term. He unsuccessfully ran in the Republican primary in the1996 U.S. Senate election.
After6th DistrictCongressman andSpeaker of the HouseNewt Gingrichresigned, Isakson ran in theFebruary 1999 special electionto succeed him, winning by a 40-point margin. He ran for the U.S. Senate in2004afterDemocraticincumbentZell Milleropted not to run for re-election. With the backing of much of Georgia's Republican establishment, he won both the primary and general elections by wide margins. He became the senior senator from Georgia whenSaxby Chamblissretired in 2015. On December 31, 2019, midway through his third Senate term, Isakson resigned from the Senate due to health concerns and was succeeded by fellow RepublicanKelly Loefflerwho was appointed byBrian Kemp,the Republican Governor of Georgia, to fill the vacant seat. He died two years later on December 19, 2021.
Early life, education, and real estate career
editIsakson was born on December 28, 1944, inAtlanta,Georgia, the son of Julia (néeBaker) and Edwin Andrew Isakson, aGreyhound busdriver,[3]who later established an Atlanta real estate firm.[4]His paternal grandparents were ofSwedishdescent, and his paternal grandfather was born inÖstersund.His mother was of mostlyBritishancestry, and her family has been in the American South since the colonial era.[5][6]
Isakson served in theGeorgia Air National Guardfrom 1966 to 1972, leaving service as a staff sergeant.[7]Isakson enrolled at theUniversity of Georgia,where he became a member of theSigma Alpha Epsilonsocial fraternity.[8][9]Shortly after graduating from UGA, he opened the firstCobb Countyoffice of Northside Realty, a prominent Atlanta-area real estate firm that his father, Ed, helped to establish. Isakson became company president in 1979, a post he held for 22 years, during which Northside became the biggest independent real estate company in the Southeast and one of the largest in the United States.[10][better source needed]
Early political career (1974–1998)
edit
Georgia House of Representatives
editIn 1974, Isakson first ran for theGeorgia House of Representativesin an eastern Cobb County district and lost. He ran again in 1976 and won. He served seven terms in the House. He won re-election unopposed in 1984[11]and 1988.[12]In his last four terms (1983–1990), he was the RepublicanMinority leader.In 1988 and 1996, he was co-chair for U.S. SenatorBob Dole's presidential primary campaigns.[13]
1990 gubernatorial election
edit
Isakson was the Republican candidate forGovernor of Georgiain 1990. He won the Republican primary with 74% of the vote in a four candidate field.[14]In the general election, he was defeated byDemocraticLieutenant GovernorZell Miller53%–45%.[15]His campaign was managed by Jay Morgan while Miller's campaign was managed byJames Carville.Miller ran on a pledge to start astate lotteryand use the revenue forpublic schools.Isakson proposed aballot referendumon the lottery.[16]
Georgia Senate
edit
In 1992, Isakson was elected to theGeorgia Senate.[17]
1996 U.S. Senate election
editIn1996,Isakson ran in the Republicanprimaryfor the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic U.S. SenatorSam Nunn.During his campaign, Isakson expressed his support for abortion rights in a campaign advertisement.[18]Isakson finished second in theprimary electionwith 35% of the vote, but the winnerGuy Millner,a millionaire businessman, failed to get a majority of the vote (receiving only 42%).[19]Therefore, per Georgia law, he was forced into a primaryrunoff election.Millner defeated Isakson in the runoff 53%–47%.[20]Millner lost the general election to DemocratMax Cleland.[21]
In December 1996, Isakson was appointed head of the State Board of Education by Gov. Zell Miller.[22]
U.S. House of Representatives (1999–2005)
editElections
edit- 1999
In November 1998,6th DistrictU.S. Congressman andSpeaker of the HouseNewt Gingrichfaced a revolt in his caucus after the Republicans lost five seats in themidterm elections.Amid the turmoil, Gingrich announced on Friday after the Tuesday elections not only that he would not run for a third term as Speaker, but he would also not take his seat for an eleventh term beginning in January 1999. Isakson ran for the seat in aspecial election in February.He won the election with 65% of the vote, forty points ahead of the second-place finisher Christina Fawcett Jeffrey.[23]
- 2000
Isakson won re-election to his first full term with 74.75% of the vote.[24]
- 2002
Isakson won re-election to his second full term with 79.87% of the vote.[25]
Tenure
editDuring his tenure in the House of Representatives, Isakson served on theCommittee on Education and the Workforce,aiding President Bush in passing theNo Child Left Behind Act.[3]As a Representative, Isakson sponsored 27 bills.[26]He was a member of theU.S. House Education Committee.[27]In October 2002, Isakson voted in favor of theauthorization of force against the country of Iraq.[28]
U.S. Senate (2005–2019)
edit
Elections
edit2004
editIn early 2003,conservativeDemocraticU.S. SenatorZell Miller—who had been appointed to fill out the term of the late Republican SenatorPaul Coverdelland elected to the post in his own right in 2000—declared his intention not to run for a full term in the Senate in 2004. Isakson immediately entered the race. He faced8th DistrictU.S. CongressmanMac Collinsand businessmanHerman Cainin the primary.[29]
It was initially thought Isakson would face a difficult primary since many socially conservative Republicans still felt chagrin at Isakson's declared support for abortion rights in 1990. However, he won the Republican primary with 53%, with Cain a distant second and Collins third, averting the need for a runoff. In the general election, he easily defeated the Democratic candidate,4th DistrictCongresswomanDenise Majette,by 18 points. Isakson's election marked the first time in Georgia's history that both of the state's U.S. Senate seats had been held by Republicans, asSaxby Chamblisshad won the other seat by defeating Nunn's successor,Max Cleland,two years earlier.[30][circular reference]
2010
editIn 2010, Isakson was unopposed in the primary. He won re-election with 58.3% of the vote in 2010, defeating State Commissioner of LaborMike Thurmond.[31]
2016
editIsakson was re-elected to a third term in 2016 with 54.8% of the vote.[32]
Tenure and legislation
editAs a senator, Isakson sponsored or co-sponsored 130 bills, just 8 of which became law.[33]
In 2010, Isakson apologized for referring to voters as "the unwashed" in off-hand comments, saying he "didn't mean anything derogatory by it."[34]
Isakson resigned from the Senate for health reasons on December 31, 2019.[35]He is the longest serving Republican senator in the history of Georgia.[36]
Committee assignments
editPolitical positions
editWhen compared to his Republican peers in the Senate, Isakson was close to center of his party; he was neither significantly more conservative nor liberal than his peers.[42]
Abortion
editDuring his campaign forU.S. senator in 1996,Isakson expressed his support for abortion rights in a campaign advertisement.[18]In 2005, Isakson reportedly identified himself as pro-life with exceptions.[43]In March 2017, Isakson—who was recovering from back surgery—came to theU.S. Capitolin a wheelchair to vote to repeal anObama administrationrule that had made it unlawful for states to bar abortion providers from receiving Title X funding. The Senate vote on the bill was 50–50, and Vice PresidentMike Pencecast a tie-breaking vote that allowed the bill to pass.[44]
Agriculture
editIn July 2019, Isakson was one of eight senators to introduce the Agricultural Trucking Relief Act, a bill that would alter the definition of an agricultural commodity to include both horticultural and aquacultural products and promote a larger consistency in regulation through both federal and state agencies as part of an attempt to ease regulatory burdens on trucking and the agri-community.[45]
Gun laws
editIn 2017, Isakson said that while he did supportconcealed carrynationwide, he did not supportcampus carryand stated that it is "not the appropriate thing to do."[46]
In February 2018, in response to theStoneman Douglas High School shooting,Isakson said, "We have to do everything we can within our powers to make sure it never happens again."[47]
Healthcare
editIsakson voted against thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Actand voted more than 60 times to repeal it.[48][better source needed]
Immigration
editIn 2019, Isakson voted to support PresidentDonald Trump's national emergency declaration regarding border security.[49]
Personal life
editIsakson and his wife, Dianne, were married in 1968, and had three children.[50]His wife is awatercolorartist,[51]and served as honorary co-chair forMarietta's Theatre in the Square playhouse in 2007.[52]
Health and death
editIn June 2015, Isakson disclosed that he had been diagnosed withParkinson's disease,but added that the diagnosis would not affect his 2016 re-election plans.[53]He continued his campaign and was elected in November 2016 to serve a third six-year term in the Senate. On August 28, 2019, however, Isakson announced that he would resign his Senate seat for health reasons on December 31, 2019.[54]
Isakson died at his home in Atlanta on December 19, 2021, nine days short of his 77th birthday.[55][56]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Zell Miller | 766,662 | 52.89 | −17.62 | |
| Republican | Johnny Isakson | 645,625 | 44.54 | +15.05 | |
| Libertarian | Carole Ann Rand | 37,367 | 2.58 | ±0 | |
| Majority | 121,037 | 8.35 | |||
| Turnout | 1,449,654 | ||||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson (incumbent) | 256,595 | 74.75% | |
| Democratic | Brett DeHart | 86,666 | 25.25% | |
| Total votes | 343,261 | 100.00% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson (incumbent) | 163,209 | 79.91% | |
| Democratic | Jeff Weisberger | 41,043 | 20.09% | |
| Total votes | 204,252 | 100.00% | ||
| Turnout | ||||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson | 346,765 | 53.2% | |
| Republican | Herman Cain | 170,464 | 26.2% | |
| Republican | Mac Collins | 134,053 | 20.6% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson | 1,864,205 | 57.88% | +19.97% | |
| Democratic | Denise Majette | 1,287,695 | 39.98% | −18.22% | |
| Libertarian | Allen Buckley | 69,051 | 2.14% | +2.14% | |
| Majority | 576,510 | 17.90% | |||
| Turnout | 3,220,951 | ||||
| RepublicangainfromDemocratic | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson (incumbent) | 558,298 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 558,298 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson (incumbent) | 1,489,904 | 58.31% | +0.43% | |
| Democratic | Michael Thurmond | 996,516 | 39.00% | −0.98% | |
| Libertarian | Chuck Donovan | 68,750 | 2.69% | +0.55% | |
| Independent | Steve Davis (write-in) | 52 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Independent | Raymond Beckworth (write-in) | 24 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Independent | Brian Russell Brown (write-in) | 12 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Majority | 493,388 | 19.31% | |||
| Total votes | 2,555,258 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson (incumbent) | 447,661 | 77.50% | |
| Republican | Derrick Grayson | 69,101 | 11.96% | |
| Republican | Mary Kay Bacallao | 60,898 | 10.54% | |
| Total votes | 577,660 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Johnny Isakson (incumbent) | 2,135,806 | 54.80% | −3.51% | |
| Democratic | Jim Barksdale | 1,599,726 | 41.04% | +2.04% | |
| Libertarian | Allen Buckley | 162,260 | 4.16% | +1.47% | |
| Total votes | 3,897,792 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^"Our Campaigns – GA State Senate 21 Race – Nov 03, 1992".www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA State Senate 21 Race – Nov 08, 1994".www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ab"GEORGIA Johnny Isakson (R)".The Washington Post.November 4, 2004.RetrievedAugust 29,2010.
- ^"Atlanta roots lie under real estate's family tree".Atlanta Business Chronicle.May 10, 2010.
- ^"Floor Statement on Immigration Reform Remarks as Delivered on the Senate Floor".Johnny Isakson. April 13, 2005.RetrievedFebruary 20,2007.
- ^"Johnny Isakson ancestry".Archived fromthe originalon August 9, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 4,2012.
- ^"Greeks in the 113th Congress".North-American Interfraternity Conference. Archived fromthe originalon March 27, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 2,2013.
- ^"Three-term Senator to retire".The Record Online.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon has a rich history of Brothers who have served the United States in an elected office, but few as many times as Johnny Isakson (Georgia '66). He holds the distinction of being the only person elected to represent the state of Georgia in the state House (1977-1990, seven terms), state Senate (1993-1997, two terms), U.S. House (1999-2005, two terms) and U.S. Senate (2005-present, three terms).
- ^"Johnny Isakson Senate".Johnny Isakson Biography.Archived fromthe originalon September 9, 2018.RetrievedNovember 18,2014.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA State House 021 Race – Nov 06, 1984".www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA State House 021 Post 2 Race – Nov 08, 1988".www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^"Johnny Isakson will seek Senate seat".bizjournals.com.American City Business Journals.RetrievedJuly 22,2020.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA Governor – R Primary Race – Jul 17, 1990".www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA Governor Race – Nov 06, 1990".www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^Parker, Laura (October 12, 1990)."Lotto Fever in Georgia Governor's Race".The Washington Post.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
- ^McKee, Don (August 31, 2016)."DON McKEE: Sen. Johnny Isakson: Tireless warrior for veterans, citizens".mdjonline.com.Marietta Daily Journal.RetrievedJuly 22,2020.
- ^abSack, Kevin (June 16, 1996)."Georgian Makes a Bold Stand on Abortion".The New York Times.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA US Senate – R Primary Race – Jul 09, 1996".www.ourcampaigns.com.RetrievedAugust 6,2018.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA US Senate – R Runoff Race – Aug 06, 1996".www.ourcampaigns.com.RetrievedAugust 6,2018.
- ^"Ga.: Democrats Win Key Senate Battle In Peach State".cnn.com.Cable News Network (CNN).RetrievedJuly 22,2020.
- ^Almanac of American Politics2008, p. 463.
- ^"Official Results of the February 23, 1999 Special Election".Georgia Secretary of State. March 16, 1999. Archived fromthe originalon February 11, 2022.RetrievedApril 28,2018.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA District 6 Race – Nov 07, 2000".www.ourcampaigns.com.RetrievedAugust 6,2018.
- ^"Our Campaigns – GA District 6 Race – Nov 05, 2002".www.ourcampaigns.com.RetrievedAugust 6,2018.
- ^"Representative Isakson's Legislation".Library of Congress.RetrievedDecember 8,2014.
- ^"Column: In their own words: Isakson's impact on education".Augustachronicle.com.The Augusta Chronicle.RetrievedJuly 22,2020.
- ^"FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 455"(H J RES 114 YEA-AND-NAY).U.S. House.October 10, 2002.
- ^Pettys, Dick."Isakson Wins GOP Primary For Georgia's Senate Seat".washingtonpost.com.WP Company, LLC.RetrievedJuly 22,2020.
- ^"List of United States senators from Georgia".Wikipedia.org.RetrievedJuly 24,2020.
- ^"Georgia – Election Results 2010".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 22,2020.
- ^"Georgia U.S. Senate Results: Johnny Isakson Wins".The New York Times.August 2017.RetrievedJuly 22,2020.
- ^"Senator Isakson's Legislation".Library of Congress.RetrievedJuly 14,2017.
- ^"Isakson apologizes for calling voters 'unwashed'".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 17, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2010.RetrievedAugust 15,2014.
- ^Rogers, Alex; Bradner, Eric; Mattingly, Phil (August 28, 2019)."Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson to resign at end of year".CNN.RetrievedAugust 28,2019.
- ^Wells, Myrydd (December 19, 2021)."Colleagues and friends in Georgia and nationwide remember Senator Johnny Isakson".Atlanta Magazine.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
- ^ab"Senate Finance subcommittee assignments set".Tax News Update.Ernst & Young.January 31, 2019.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
- ^Remo, Andrew (December 19, 2013)."Senate Hearing Focuses on Retirement Income".National Association of Plan Advisors.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
- ^abc"A smorgasbord of subcommittees".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.February 1, 2015. p. A6.RetrievedDecember 19,2021.
- ^Malloy, Daniel (April 19, 2012)."Isakson says Kony still a priority".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.p. A2.RetrievedDecember 19,2021.
- ^"Subcommittees".senate.gov.RetrievedNovember 17,2019.
- ^Parlapiano, Haeyoun Park, Alicia; Sanger-katz, Margot (July 13, 2017)."Republicans Made 4 Key Changes to Their Health Care Bill. Here's Who They Were Trying to Win Over".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJuly 17,2017.
{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"An Ardent Moderate".January 1, 2005.
- ^Barrett, Ted (March 30, 2017)."Isakson returns to Senate to cast key vote on Planned Parenthood".CNN.
- ^Galford, Chris (July 2, 2019)."Bipartisan Senate effort seeks to ease regulation of agricultural trucking".transportationtodaynews.com.
- ^Harris, Nate (March 15, 2017)."Senator Isakson speaks out against campus carry".The Red and Black.RetrievedOctober 4,2017.
- ^Saporta, Maria (February 20, 2018)."Sen. Johnny Isakson: 'Of course' planning to run for re-election in 2022".Business Journal.RetrievedMarch 8,2020.
- ^"Health Care – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson".Archived fromthe originalon February 20, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 19,2017.
- ^Hallerman, Tamar (March 14, 2019)."Isakson, Perdue vote to uphold Trump's border emergency".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedFebruary 13,2021.
- ^Clanton, Nancy."5 things to know about Johnny Isakson".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedJuly 22,2020.
- ^McQueen, Tucker (December 19, 2008)."White House tree features Georgia".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.pp. C1.RetrievedDecember 19,2021.
- ^Bentley, Rosalind (March 23, 2012)."How Marietta lost its theater".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.RetrievedDecember 19,2021.
- ^Sen. Johnny Isakson discloses he has Parkinson’s disease (Washington Post article-June 10, 2015)
- ^"GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson to resign at end of year".August 28, 2019.
- ^Hallerman, Tamar; Malloy, Daniel (December 19, 2021)."Johnny Isakson, 76, Georgia politician respected by both sides, dies".The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.ISSN1539-7459.RetrievedDecember 19,2021.
- ^McFadden, Robert D.(December 19, 2021)."Johnny Isakson, Longtime Senator From Georgia, Is Dead at 76".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 19,2021.
- ^"1990 General Election Results - Governor".sos.ga.gov.Georgia Secretary of State.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
- ^"Georgia Election Results - Official Results of the November 7, 2000 General Election".sos.ga.gov.Georgia Secretary of State.RetrievedDecember 20,2021.
- ^"Georgia Election Results Official Results of the November 5, 2002 General Election".sos.ga.gov.Georgia Secretary of State.RetrievedJuly 27,2020.
- ^"United States Senator".sos.ga.gov.Georgia Secretary of State.RetrievedFebruary 1,2019.
- ^"United States Senator".sos.ga.gov.Georgia Secretary of State. December 21, 2005.RetrievedDecember 3,2008.
- ^"7/20/2010 – United States Senator, Isakson".sos.ga.gov.Georgia Secretary of State.RetrievedAugust 21,2010.
- ^"11/2/2010 – United States Senator, Isakson".sos.ga.gov.Georgia Secretary of State.
- ^"Official Results".clarityelections.com.RetrievedJuly 20,2016.
- ^"General Election November 8, 2016".clarityelections.com.RetrievedDecember 19,2016.
External links
edit
- Senator Johnny IsaksonArchivedDecember 27, 2019, at theWayback Machineofficial U.S. Senate website
- Johnny Isakson for SenateArchivedOctober 29, 2016, at theWayback Machine