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Oral history interview with Former Governor George Busbee, 1993 July 15

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@ University of West Georgia. Special Collections

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George Busbee (1927-2004) was born in Vienna, Georgia on August 7, 1927 and attended both Georgia Military College and Abraham Baldwin College before interrupting his education to join the U.S. Navy. After leaving the Navy, he earned a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1952. Busbee moved to Albany, Georgia where he started a private practice and entered politics. In 1956 he was elected as a Democrat to represent Dougherty County in the state House of Representatives, and served there until 1974. During his time in the legislature he acted as floor leader for Governor Carl Sanders and served as majority leader for eight years. In 1974, Busbee ran for and won the governorship using the campaign slogan, "a workhorse, not a show horse." His top priorities were education, economic development, and prison reform. He used his legislative experience and skill to pass a constitutional amendment allowing governors to serve two consecutive terms, and was the first to take advantage of it, serving from 1975-1983. After his term ended, Busbee moved to Duluth, Georgia and joined a prestigious law firm and served on several corporate boards. He died suddenly of a heart attack in Savannah on July 16, 2004.; Interviewed by Mel Steely on July 15, 1993 at an unmentioned location; presumably Busbee's Law Offices.; Former governor Busbee begins the interview by discussing his early life including his religious background, early jobs, and his reflections on World War II. He then talks about his time in university and...
Type:
Video
Contributors:
Steely, MelUniversity of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
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Record Contributed By

University of West Georgia. Special Collections

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia

Keywords

  1. Abraham Baldwin College
  2. African Americans
  3. Agnew, Spiro T., 1918 1996
  4. Alumni And Alumnae
  5. American Association Of University Professors. Georgia Chapter
  6. Bell, Griffin B., 1918
  7. Bolton, Arthur K. (Arthur Key), 1922
  8. Bowles, Jesse Groover
  9. Busbee, George, 1927 2004
  10. Callaway, Howard H. (Howard Hollis), 1927
  11. Cook, Rodney
  12. Dean, Roscoe, 1936
  13. Democratic National Convention
  14. Democratic Party (U.S.)
  15. Dole, Robert J., 1923
  16. Duke University
  17. Education
  18. Floyd, James H., 1920
  19. Ford, Gerald R., 1913 2006
  20. Fortson, Ben Wynn, 1904
  21. Fortson, Warren Candler, 1928
  22. Gambrell, David Henry, 1929
  23. Gay Liberation Movement
  24. George, Walter F. (Walter Franklin), 1878 1957
  25. Georgia
  26. Georgia Institute Of Technology
  27. Georgia Military College
  28. Georgia Power Company
  29. Glanton, Tom
  30. Government
  31. Governors
  32. Gray, James F
  33. Griffin, Marvin, 1907 1982
  34. Harris, Joe Frank
  35. Holloway, Al
  36. Irvin, Thomas T., 1929
  37. Jaycees International
  38. Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908 1973
  39. Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917 1963
  40. Kidd, Culver, 1914 1995
  41. King & Spalding
  42. Kirbo, Charles
  43. Lance, Bert, 1931
  44. Legislators
  45. Macon Telegraph
  46. Maddox, Virginia Cox, 1919 1997
  47. Medicaid
  48. Medicare
  49. Meese, Edwin
  50. Miller, Zell, 1932
  51. Missing Children
  52. Murphy, Thomas Bailey, 1924 2007
  53. National Governors' Conference
  54. Nunn, Sam
  55. Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack On, 1941
  56. Perdue, Tom
  57. Politics And Government
  58. Prisons
  59. Reagan, Ronald
  60. Recessions
  61. Republican Party (U.S. : 1854)
  62. Rowan, Robert A., 1935
  63. Sanders, Carl Edward, 1925
  64. Shipp, Bill
  65. Sibley, John A. (John Adams), 1888 1986
  66. Skandalakis, Mitch
  67. Smith, George Leon, 1912 1973
  68. Smith, George T. (George Thornewell), 1916
  69. Stockman, David Alan, 1946
  70. Strauss, Robert P
  71. Thompson, Ronnie
  72. Underwood, Norman Lee, 1941
  73. United States
  74. United States. Dept. Of Health And Human Services
  75. Universities
  76. University Of Georgia
  77. University System Of Georgia. Board Of Regents
  78. Vandiver, S. Ernest (Samuel Ernest), 1918
  79. Vinson, Carl, 1883 1981
  80. West Georgia College

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