Roy Barnes
Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11, 1948) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 80th governor of Georgia from 1999 to 2003. As of 2023, he is the most recent Democrat to serve as governor of Georgia.
Roy Barnes | |
|---|---|
| 80th Governor of Georgia | |
| In office January 11, 1999 – January 13, 2003 | |
| Lieutenant | Mark Taylor |
| Preceded by | Zell Miller |
| Succeeded by | Sonny Perdue |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 33rd district | |
| In office November 3, 1992 – November 3, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Don Wix |
| Member of the Georgia State Senate from the 33rd district | |
| In office November 5, 1974 – November 6, 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Henderson |
| Succeeded by | Steve Thompson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Roy Eugene Barnes March 11, 1948 Mableton, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Marie Dobbs (m. 1970) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Georgia (BA, JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Unit | United States Army Reserves |
A Democratic member of the Georgia Senate from 1974 to 1990, Barnes ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1990, losing to Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller in the Democratic primary. Barnes then served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1992 to 1998. He ran for governor again in 1998, handily winning the primary and general elections.
In 2003, Barnes was awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Library for his success while governor of minimizing the Confederate battle emblem on the Georgia state flag despite the political fallout. It is widely believed that his support of the flag change significantly contributed to his re-election defeat in 2002.
After his defeat, he resumed the practice of law and co-chaired the Aspen Institute Commission on No Child Left Behind Act. He returned to politics when he ran for governor again in 2010, losing to Republican Nathan Deal.