Griffin: Johnny Isakson was a ‘true patriot’
Summary
Since the news of his passing on Sunday, leaders are remembering Former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson as a statesman who put country over party, and one Lake Area voice has been added to the growing chorus. “I would just like […]
Since the news of his passing on Sunday, leaders are remembering Former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson as a statesman who put country over party, and one Lake Area voice has been added to the growing chorus.
“I would just like for people to understand that Senator Isakson was a true patriot,” said Floyd L. Griffin Jr., the former Milledgeville Mayor who served alongside Isakson in the state legislature. “I kind of used him as a go-to person and a mentor to some degree because he had been around the legislature.”
Johnny Isakson spent 42 years representing Georgia in several elected offices. Representing his Cobb County district as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1977-1991; he was the Minority Leader from 1983-1991.
He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1990. Isakson was then elected to the Georgia State Senate, where he served from 1993 until 1997.
After an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1996, then-Gov. Zell Miller appointed him to head the State Board of Education.
“We need more Johnny Isaksons at all levels of government.”
Floyd L. Griffin Jr.
His name would be on the ballot again in 1999 in a special election for the Congressional seat being vacated by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich. Isakson would be in that post until 2005, when he was elected to the United States Senate. He represented Georgia for 14 years before stepping down in 2019 due to health issues.
Floyd L. Griffin Jr., told Lake Country Today during his two terms in the state legislature he and Isakson had their share of disagreements. “We were able to discuss things and learn to agree to disagree, and try to do the things that were best for Georgians and not just best for us personally [or] our party,” Griffin said.
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FROM THE ARCHIVE: Last Oconee Radio Group News Interview with then-U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson October 18, 2018.
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President Biden paid tribute to the former senator
Jill and I and the entire Biden family are saddened to learn of the passing of Johnny Isakson, the distinguished former United States Representative and Senator from Georgia.
Senator Isakson was a colleague and a friend. We served together on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, traveled together, and found common ground built on mutual respect for each other and the institutions that govern our nation.
Johnny was a proud Republican, but he put country before party, and valued building consensus over political combat. I always loved Johnny’s description of the only division he saw as between “friends and future friends.”
In Johnny’s memory, let us heed the wisdom he offered upon retiring from the Senate, where he urged everyone to devote less energy to describing problems and more effort to working together to provide answers.
Johnny Isakson was a patriot and a gentleman.
Georgia has lost an indispensable son.
America has lost an exemplary leader.
Our prayers are with Dianne and the entire Isakson family.
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Kemp: flags to fly at half staff in honor of “a great statesmen and servant leader”
Governor Brian Kemp has ordered the flags on all state properties to be flown at half-staff to honor the late senator. Mr. Kemp released this statement following the news:
“Georgia has lost a giant, one of its greatest statesmen, and a servant leader dedicated to making his state and country better than he found it,” said Governor Brian Kemp.” Johnny Isakson personified what it means to be a Georgian. Johnny was also a dear friend to Marty, the girls, and me – as he was to so many. He answered the call to public service many times over his career as a state legislator, minority leader in the Georgia House, chair of the State Board of Education, Congressman, and finally as Senator.
“His work to champion our veterans, deliver disaster relief for Georgia farmers after Hurricane Michael, and always stand up for Georgia’s best interest in the U.S. Senate will live on for generations to come,” continued Kemp. “As a businessman and a gifted retail politician, Johnny paved the way for the modern Republican Party in Georgia, but he never let partisan politics get in the way of doing what was right.
“Above all, Johnny was a wonderful father to his three children and a devoted husband to Dianne. Our family is sending our deepest condolences and prayers to the Isakson family, his former staff, and all lucky enough to call Johnny a friend. Georgians across our state join them in mourning the loss of one of our best.”
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