Sonny Montgomery

Sonny Montgomery

Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery (born August 5, 1920 in Meridian , Mississippi ; † May 12, 2006 ibid) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ). Between 1967 and 1973 he represented the fourth and from 1973 to 1997 the third constituency of the state of Mississippi in the United States House of Representatives .

Career

Sonny Montgomery graduated from Mississippi State University , then entered the insurance industry and became Vice President of Greater Mississippi Life Insurance Co. During World War II , he served in the US Army in the European theater and was recognized for his military achievements with several Order awarded. During the Korean War , Montgomery was reactivated for the armed forces. In the Mississippi State National Guard he rose to major general until 1980 . He became president of the Mississippi National Guard Association and a member of the state's Agriculture and Industry Council. Between 1956 and 1966 he represented Lauderdale County in the Mississippi Senate .

In 1966 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the fourth district of Mississippi . There he replaced the Republican Prentiss Walker on January 3, 1967 . Since he also won the following elections, he was able to represent this district in Congress until January 3, 1973 . After the 1972 elections, Montgomery moved to the third constituency. After several re-elections he was able to exercise this mandate until January 3, 1997. Between 1969 and 1971 he was chairman of the committee that dealt with the American involvement in the events in Southeast Asia. From 1975 to 1977 he was a member of the committee that dealt with missing persons from war operations in Southeast Asia. Montgomery also served on the Veterans Committee from 1981 to 1989. Montgomery was the author of the so-called GI Bill of Rights , which guaranteed soldiers financial grants for school education and training.

In 1996 Sonny Montgomery declined to run again. In 2005 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom . He died in 2006 and was buried in Meridian.

Works

• Montgomery with Michael B. Ballard, Craig S. Piper: Sonny Montgomery: The Veteran's Champion. University Press of Mississippi, Jackson 2003, ISBN 978-1-57806-554-7 .

Web links

• Sonny Montgomery in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Sonny Montgomery in the database of Find a Grave (English)