preview

George Thornewell Smith: A Brief Biography

Decent Essays

George Thornewell Smith, a prominent figure in Georgia politics and the only man to be elected to office in all three branches of state government, died Monday at the age of 93. No funeral arrangements have been announced yet for Smith, who was still a practicing attorney with a Marietta law firm at the time of his death. In a political career that spanned nearly five decades, Smith served as speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, as lieutenant governor, as a judge on the State Court of Appeals and as a justice on the Georgia Supreme Court. Born in Mitchell County in 1916, Smith attended Middle Georgia College and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he graduated from the University …show more content…

Gov. Peter Zack Geer, a flamboyant attorney and a segregationist. Geer had a history of shooting from the hip in political campaigns and made some ill-considered remarks that Smith exploited to win an upset victory in the Democratic primary. After losing to Smith in the primary, Geer famously remarked that he was “still the lieutenant governor of the white people of Georgia.” “He got overconfident,” Smith later said. “When you’re in politics, be careful what you say. Your tongue can hang you, over and over and over again.” Smith was defeated by Lester Maddox when he tried to run for a second term as lieutenant governor in 1970 (Maddox had served a term as governor but was legally barred from running for a second consecutive term). Smith also tried to run for governor in 1974 but fell short in a crowded Democratic primary that included Maddox, George Busbee, Bert Lance and Bobby Rowan. Smith returned to the campaign trail in 1976 and won a seat on the Court of Appeals, then won a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court in 1980 and served there until forced to retire in 1991 at the age of 75. After stepping down from the bench, Smith continued to practice law in Marietta with Roy Barnes (prior to Barnes’ election as governor in 1998) and Tom

Get Access