(CSU) At the age of 76, former Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican, passed away.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement Sunday that the state had “lost a giant” and that Isakson was “one of its greatest statesmen and a servant leader devoted to leaving his state and nation better than he found them.”
“Johnny Isakson embodied everything a Georgian stands for. Johnny was a close friend to Marty, the daughters, and me, as he was to so many others. “In a statement, Kemp added.
According to the official Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Isakson passed away just a few days before his 77th birthday.
He was a senator for over 15 years before resigning due to health issues in 2019. He was recuperating from a fall that cracked four ribs and underwent surgery to remove a tumor on his kidney at the time of his announcement, all as his Parkinson’s illness progressed.
“I am quitting a career I love because my health concerns are wreaking havoc on myself, my family, and my coworkers,” Isakson said at the time. “With my worsening health, I’ve come to the decision that I won’t be able to do the work in the time frame that Georgians deserve. Leaving my Senate seat in the midst of my term goes against everything I believe in, but I know it is the right thing to do for my state.”
He began his formal political career as a member of Georgia’s general assembly in 1976, where he was born in Fulton County. In 1990, he ran for governor of Georgia but was defeated, and in 1992, he was elected to the Georgia Senate. Isakson previously campaigned for the United States Senate in 1996 and served as the chair of Georgia’s Board of Education before being elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served from 1999 to 2004.
In a statement released Sunday morning, former Republican Sen. David Perdue, who served in the Senate with Isakson from 2015 until his retirement, paid tribute to his Georgia colleague.
Perdue remarked, “Johnny was an effective colleague, a mentor I admired, and a friend I valued.” “Johnny’s life has been difficult in recent years, but he has faced each challenge with tenacity. Everyone who knew him will miss his sharp wit and kind heart.”
With new information, this story has been updated.
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