- Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Title:
- Oral history interview with Former Governor George Busbee, 1993 July 15
- Creator:
- Busbee, George, 1927-2004
- Contributor to Resource:
- Steely, Mel
University of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program - Publisher:
- Carrollton, Ga. : University of West Georgia Special Collections in association with the Digital Library of Georgia
- Date of Original:
- 1993-07-15
- Subject:
- Georgia--Politics and government--1865-1950
Georgia--Politics and government--1951-
Governors--Georgia
Legislators--Georgia
Abraham Baldwin College--Alumni and alumnae
American Association of University Professors. Georgia Chapter
University System of Georgia. Board of Regents
Democratic National Convention
Democratic Party (U.S.)
Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )
United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Duke University
Georgia Military College
Georgia Power Company
Georgia Institute of Technology
King & Spalding
University of Georgia
West Georgia College
National Governors' Conference
Jaycees International
Macon telegraph
Education--Georgia
Medicaid
Medicare
African Americans
Gay liberation movement
Missing children
Prisons--Georgia
Recessions--United States
Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941 - People:
- Agnew, Spiro T., 1918-1996
Maddox, Lester, 1915-2003
Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002
Arnall, Ellis Gibbs, 1907-1992
Young, Andrew, 1932-
Jackson, Maynard, 1938-2003
Carter, Jimmy, 1924-
Busbee, George, 1927-2004
Bell, Griffin B., 1918-2009
Bolton, Arthur K. (Arthur Key), 1922-
Bowles, Jesse Groover
Callaway, Howard H. (Howard Hollis), 1927-2014
Dole, Robert J., 1923-2021
Fortson, Ben Wynn, 1904-1979
Fortson, Warren Candler, 1928-
Gambrell, David Henry, 1929-
George, Walter F. (Walter Franklin), 1878-1957
Glanton, Tom
Gray, James F.
Griffin, Marvin, 1907-1982
Holloway, Al
Irvin, Thomas T., 1929-
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
Kirbo, Charles
Lance, Bert, 1931-2013
Maddox, Virginia Cox, 1919-1997
Miller, Zell, 1932-2018
Murphy, Thomas Bailey, 1924-2007
Nunn, Sam
Rowan, Robert A., 1935-
Sanders, Carl, 1925-2014
Shipp, Bill
Sibley, John A. (John Adams), 1888-1986
Skandalakis, Mitch
Smith, George Leon, 1912-1973
Smith, George T. (George Thornewell), 1916-
Strauss, Robert P.
Thompson, Ronnie
Vandiver, S. Ernest (Samuel Ernest), 1918-2005
Vinson, Carl, 1883-1981
Cook, Rodney
Dean, Roscoe, 1936-
Floyd, James H., 1920-
Ford, Gerald R., 1913-2006
Harris, Joe Frank
Kidd, Culver, 1914-1995
Meese, Edwin
Perdue, Tom
Reagan, Ronald
Stockman, David Alan, 1946-
Underwood, Norman Lee, 1941- - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
United States, Georgia, Baldwin County, Milledgeville, 33.08014, -83.2321
United States, Georgia, Chatham County, Savannah, 32.08354, -81.09983
United States, Georgia, Dooly County, 32.15718, -83.79875
United States, Georgia, Dooly County, Vienna, 32.09156, -83.79545
United States, Georgia, Dougherty County, 31.53337, -84.21625
United States, Georgia, Emanuel County, Swainsboro, 32.59739, -82.33374
United States, Georgia, Spalding County, Griffin, 33.24678, -84.26409
United States, Georgia, Sumter County, Plains, 32.03405, -84.39269
United States, Georgia, Thomas County, 30.86368, -83.91931
United States, Georgia, Thomas County, Thomasville, 30.83658, -83.97878
United States, Louisiana, Lincoln Parish, Ruston, 32.52321, -92.63793 - Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
moving images - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- George Busbee (1927-2004) was born in Vienna, Georgia on August 7, 1927 and attended both Georgia Military College and Abraham Baldwin College before interrupting his education to join the U.S. Navy. After leaving the Navy, he earned a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1952. Busbee moved to Albany, Georgia where he started a private practice and entered politics. In 1956 he was elected as a Democrat to represent Dougherty County in the state House of Representatives, and served there until 1974. During his time in the legislature he acted as floor leader for Governor Carl Sanders and served as majority leader for eight years. In 1974, Busbee ran for and won the governorship using the campaign slogan, "a workhorse, not a show horse." His top priorities were education, economic development, and prison reform. He used his legislative experience and skill to pass a constitutional amendment allowing governors to serve two consecutive terms, and was the first to take advantage of it, serving from 1975-1983. After his term ended, Busbee moved to Duluth, Georgia and joined a prestigious law firm and served on several corporate boards. He died suddenly of a heart attack in Savannah on July 16, 2004.; Interviewed by Mel Steely on July 15, 1993 at an unmentioned location; presumably Busbee's Law Offices.; Former governor Busbee begins the interview by discussing his early life including his religious background, early jobs, and his reflections on World War II. He then talks about his time in university and the decision to go into law rather than go into the family farm business. He spends a great deal of time talking about his relatively close relationships with political "enemies." He later goes into detail about his relationship with the Kennedy family, especially Bobby. He also discusses his relationship with Jimmy Carter. He spends a lot of time talking about educational developments, especially in the university system. He discusses his administration's approach to Medicaid, as well as his service on international committees. Busbee concludes the interview by talking again about education and his involvement in pro bono activities, finally stating that he truly enjoyed his time in office and his time in the political field.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:uwg_phc_busbee19930715
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/uwg/phc/do:busbee19930715
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [interview title], Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, University of West Georgia
- Extent:
- 3 cassettes (circa 63 mins.; circa 57 mins.; circa 36 mins.)
- Original Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, State University of West Georgia
- Holding Institution:
- University of West Georgia. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
