- Collection:
- Reflections on Georgia Politics oral history collection, 2006-2010
- Title:
- DuBose Porter, 24 February 2009.
- Creator:
- Porter, DuBose, 1953
Short, Bob, 1932 - Contributor to Resource:
- Short, Bob, 1932-
- Date of Original:
- 2009-02-24
- Subject:
- Georgia--General Assembly--House of Representatives
Democratic Party (Ga.)
Judges--Georgia--Interviews
Politicians--Georgia--Interviews
Political campaigns--Georgia
Education--Georgia
Taxation--Georgia
Transportation--Georgia
Lotteries--Georgia
Education
Judges
Lotteries
Political campaigns
Politicians
Taxation
Transportation
Georgia - People:
- Miller, Zell, 1932-2018
Harris, Joe Frank
Murphy, Thomas Bailey, 1924-2007
Porter, DuBose, 1953- - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
interviews - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- Related materials held in the following collections of this repository: Georgia House of Representatives Communications Office Records.
Finding aid available in repository.
DuBose Porter was born October 2, 1953, in Dublin, Georgia. He attended Davidson College and received a bachelor's degree in English. He interned in Washington, D.C., with Senator Sam Nunn, and went on to receive his law degree from the Cumberland Law School at Samford University. He returned home to Dublin and founded the law firm of Nelson & Porter. In 1982, he ran a successful campaign as a Democrat for the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1987, Porter and Griffin Lovett bought Dublin's daily newspaper, The Courier Herald. Porter oversees the business and publishing aspect of the paper. He and Lovett went on to purchase various other papers, including The Soperton News, The Johnson Journal, and The Baldwin Bulletin. In 1991 and 1992, he served as Governor Miller's administration floor leader in the legislature. In 2003, he was elected speaker pro tempore in the Georgia House of Representatives. In 2005, he was elected leader of the Democratic Caucus of the House of Representatives. He served on numerous committees, including Appropriations, Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Ethics, and Rules. He served as a member of Governor Miller's Preservation 2000 Committee, and as Chairman of Education and Higher Education. In 2010 he ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor of Georgia.
Dubose Porter discusses his childhood in Dublin, his education at Davidson and Mercer Law and working on Wash Larsen's congressional campaign. Porter recalls his work in the newspaper business and discusses his purchase of The Courier Herald with Griffin Lovett in 1987. He discusses the effect of the internet on the local daily newspaper. Porter discusses his first political race and his impression of the legislature upon his arrival in 1983. He recalls the expansion of Georgia under Governor Joe Frank Harris and his appointment as floor leader under Governor Zell Miller. Porter recalls being mentored by Hugh Gillis and Pete Phillips. He discusses Georgia's political situation regarding education, transportation, taxes, and industrial development. Porter discusses the difficulty of passing the bill to create the lottery, the influence of No Child Left Behind on Georgia's quality of education, and the innovative nature of charter schools. Porter recalls running for Speaker against Tom Murphy and explains the green door behind which the Budget Committee made decisions. He also discusses how the legislature usually passes the budget on the last day of session. Porter discusses emerging partisanship in Georgia, specifically mentioning party-switching and the transition from a Democratic to a Republican General Assembly. He discusses the image of the Georgia Democratic Party and favors non-partisan voting.
Interviewed by Bob Short. - Metadata URL:
- http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL220ROGP-073/ohms
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule.
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Reflections on Georgia Politics Oral History Collection, ROGP 073, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.
- Extent:
- 1 interview (59 min.) : sd., col.
- Original Collection:
- Reflections on Georgia Politics Oral History Collection
http://sclfind.libs.uga.edu/sclfind/view?docId=ead/RBRL220ROGP.xml - Holding Institution:
- Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
- Rights:
-
