Carl Sanders

This article is about the US lawyer and politician; on the American musician see Karl Sanders .

Carl Edward Sanders Sr. (born May 15, 1925 in Augusta , Georgia , † November 16, 2014 in Atlanta , Georgia) was an American lawyer and politician . In particular, he was best known as the governor of Georgia .

Youth and political advancement

Carl Sanders got a place at the University of Georgia with the help of a scholarship . His studies were interrupted by the Second World War, in which he was used as a bomber pilot in the US Army . After the war he resumed his law studies. He got to know Betty Foy, whom he married soon after and with whom he had two children. Eventually he settled in his hometown of Augusta as a lawyer. In 1954 he decided to become politically active. First he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for two years , followed by his election to the state Senate in 1956 , where he soon became one of the leading senators. In 1962 he successfully ran for the office of governor .

Georgia Governor

At the age of 37, the Democrat Sanders became the youngest governor of all US states at the time. His tenure marked a turning point in the history of the state of Georgia. He was the first governor to come from a larger city since the 1920s and, following an electoral reform, the first governor to be elected with a true majority of all voters under the new electoral law. Previously there was a law that decided according to constituencies.

Sanders was a strong governor who had the difficult task of leading the state from a more agrarian past into an industrial future. He fundamentally reformed both the education system and the state administration. In his education, it was important to increase the level of education. More schools were built and more teachers were hired. The curricula have been revised and improved accordingly. At the same time the state administration became more efficient and the fight against corruption was declared. Some ministries have been fundamentally reformed, including the Ministry of Transport and Finance. On the racial issue, he saw no point in defying the general federal trend and worked closely with John F. Kennedy and later Lyndon B. Johnson to advocate the new civil rights laws. Another project was the redistribution of the constituencies within Georgia, which have now been adapted to the current circumstances. The governor was also successful in the economic field. It managed to attract new industries to Georgia. Foreign trade was encouraged and much outside investment was made in Georgia. He changed Georgia's image within the USA and laid the foundation for overcoming the negative image of a racist, conservative agricultural state. Due to a constitutional clause, he was unable to stand for re-election in 1966 and left office at the height of his popularity.

Later career

After his tenure, he opened a law firm in Atlanta. President Johnson offered him various positions in his administration, all of which he declined. In 1970 he half-heartedly decided to run for governor again, but was defeated by Jimmy Carter . He returned to his law firm, which became one of the most successful in Atlanta. Today his firm employs over 500 lawyers not only in Atlanta, but also in London , Hong Kong and Virginia . Sanders was also very successful in other areas, particularly banking and real estate. He died on November 16, 2014 in the Georgian capital Atlanta of complications from pneumonia at the age of 89.

literature

• James F. Cook: Carl Sanders, Spokesman of the New South. Mercer University Press, Macon (Georgia) 1993
• Harold P. Henderson and Gary L. Roberts (Eds.): Georgia Governors in an Age of Change: From Ellis Arnall to George Busbee. University of Georgia Press, Athens 1988

Web links

• The New Georgia Encyclopedia (English)
• Carl Sanders in the National Governors Association (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Doug Stutsman: Carl Sanders dies at 89th obituary in The Augusta Chronicle of November 17, 2014 (English, accessed November 17, 2014).