- Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Title:
- Transcript of oral history interview with Glenn Richardson, 2013 May 28
- Creator:
- Richardson, James Glenn
- Contributor to Resource:
- University of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Date of Original:
- 2013-05-28
- Subject:
- Georgia--Politics and government--1865-1950
Georgia--Politics and government--1951-
Legislators--Georgia--Interviews
Douglas County (Ga.)
Paulding County (Ga.)
Lawyers--Georgia--Paulding County
Taxation--Georgia
Voting--Georgia
Depression, Mental
Richardson, James Glenn--Interviews - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
transcripts - Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- Glenn Richardson (1960- ) became involved in politics in 1989 when he was named the County Attorney for Paulding County, a position he would hold for 16 years. In 1996 he became the first Republican elected from Paulding County since the Civil War. In 2002 he was chosen by Governor Sonny Perdue to serve as Floor Leader of the House, and in 2003 he was elected House Minority Leader. Richardson was then elected Speaker of the House in 2005 which made him the first Republican Speaker of the House since Reconstruction. He was then re-elected as Speaker in 2007 and 2009. Richardson resigned his office in 2010 citing personal issues. Making a return to politics, Richardson ran for the office of State Senate for District 30 in the 2012 election.; Interviewed by Mel Steely on May 28, 2013 at Richardson's home in Dallas, Georgia.; Richardson begins the interview by discussing his family and childhood. He talks about growing up in Winston, working for his family, and attending school. Following this he talks about entering law school, joining a law firm, and becoming the County Attorney for Paulding County. Richardson also discusses his entry into politics, joining the Republican Party, and becoming the first Republican to be elected to state government in Paulding County.; Richardson next discusses his time as a state representative. As a freshman state representative, he shared a district with Tom Murphy and had to work with him to get anything done for the district. He next talks about his relationship with other congressmen such as Earl Ehrhart, Lynn Westmoreland, and Jack Kingston. Richardson discusses congressional redistricting and the Republican rise to power as a result. Following this, he speaks about voting against open records and the change of the state flag.; Richardson also discusses his relationship with Sonny Purdue and the difficulties occurred by senate and house leaders in meeting with the governor. He next discusses the tax increases proposed by Purdue on alcohol and tobacco and the pushback he faced from the Republican leaders. Richardson claims the attempts to raise taxes are why Purdue was not popular with traditional Republicans. Finally, he talks about the fight with the governor over raising property taxes and senior tax credits as well his personal stances on abortion and transportation.; To close the interview, Richardson talks about the stress of being speaker, medical issues, depression, and divorce. According to Richardson, these issues caused him to attempt suicide and to resign from office. He then discusses his recovery and rehabilitation, attempted return to office, and the Tea Party. He ends by talking about the future of Georgia politics and a likely resurgence of the Democratic Party in Georgia.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:uwg_phc_richardson20130528-transcript
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/uwg/phc/do-pdf:richardson20130528-transcript
- Language:
- eng
- 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:
-
