George Busbee; governor credited for Ga. job growth
ATLANTA -- Former Georgia governor George Busbee, a Democrat who campaigned as ''a workhorse, not a showhorse," died Friday of an apparent heart attack. He was 76.
Mr. Busbee collapsed at the Savannah airport, according to son Jeff.
While Mr. Busbee was in office from 1975 to 1983, voters approved a constitutional amendment that allowed him to become the state's first governor to serve two consecutive four-year terms.
He launched the state's first kindergarten program and steered Georgia through two recessions. Seeing the demise of agriculture and textiles as the state's leading industries, he worked to attract emerging high-technology businesses that propelled Georgia's growth in the 1990s.
''He was an excellent governor," said another former governor, Democrat Roy Barnes. ''He had an intricate knowledge of the state, particularly the budget."
The head of the state Democratic Party, Bobby Kahn, said Mr. Busbee was ''a great governor and believed in a strong party.
''His slogan was, 'A workhorse, not a showhorse,' and that's how he was," Kahn said.
Just before leaving office, Mr. Busbee said he hoped he'd be remembered for his work ethic.
''I'd just like to be remembered for two things: one, that I worked hard. I tried," he said in late 1982. ''I wasn't the smartest man that's been in this chair, but I tried as hard.
''And I certainly hope to be remembered as having as much integrity as anybody that's ever sat in this chair."
Mr. Busbee was born on Aug. 7, 1927. After serving in the Navy, he graduated from the University of Georgia, where he met and married Mary Elizabeth Talbot. Mr. Busbee earned a law degree from the school in 1952.
He practiced law in Albany and won a seat in the Legislature, where he served 18 years. Mr. Busbee was floor leader for Governor Carl Sanders and became majority leader, a position he held for eight years.
Mr. Busbee won the Democratic nomination for governor in 1974, Jimmy Carter's final year in office, over better-known rivals including Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox.
A public tribute to the governor will be held today in the state Capitol in Atlanta. 