Pierre Howard
| Pierre Howard | |
|---|---|
| 9th Lieutenant Governor of Georgia | |
| In office January 11, 1991 – January 8, 1999 |
|
| Governor | Zell Miller |
| Preceded by | Zell Miller |
| Succeeded by | Mark Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 3, 1943 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Pierre Howard (born February 3, 1943) is an American attorney and politician. He served as ninth Lieutenant Governor of the US state of Georgia.
Contents
Background
Howard was born into a political family. His great-grandfather, Thomas Coke Howard, was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. His grandfather, William S. Howard served in the Georgia House, as well as the U.S. House of Representatives. Howard attended the University of Georgia, where he was captain of the tennis team and president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and went on to receive a law degree from the University of Georgia. In 1974, Howard married Nancy Barnes. They have two children, Christopher and Caroline. Howard's pronunciation of his first name is identical to the word "pier".
State Senate
Howard entered politics in 1972. He was elected to the Georgia State Senate, representing DeKalb County's 42nd district. He was subsequently re-elected eight times, serving a total of 18 years, until 1990.[1] During his tenure in the Senate, Howard served eight years as assistant floor leader for Governor George Busbee and 16 years as chairman of the Senate Human Resources Committee.
Lieutenant governor
In 1990, Howard ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor. He was elected to a four-year term and was re-elected in 1994. Howard focused on critical issues concerning Georgia families throughout his political career (i.e. graduated licenses and zero tolerance for drinking and driving for teens).
Campaign for governor
In 1997, Howard announced his intention to run for governor. He was considered by many[who?] to be the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. The metro Atlanta attorney targeted rural voters, with a campaign that reimaged the candidate with humor, stressing his "Southernness" with the slogan "Pierre is French for Bubba".[2] However, prior to the primary election, after having raised over $1 million in campaign contributions, Howard abruptly exited the race, citing family concerns. Campaign funds were returned to contributors.[3] According to the Savannah Morning News, "many Capitol-watchers had trouble believing Howard's reasons for dropping out."[4] In the book Peepshow: Media and Politics in the Age of Scandal, the authors state that "Howard denied that he was bowing out of the race to prevent any ... revalation about himself. There is nothing in my background that worried me and caused me to get out of the race, Howard told suspicious reporters. Almost two weeks later, Jim Wooten, editor of the Atlanta Journal's editorial page, wrote that suspicions lingered nonetheless."[5]
Honor
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The Interstate 285 and Interstate 20 interchange in DeKalb County, Georgia is named in his honor.
References
- ↑ Charles S. Bullock, III, The Georgia Political Almanac, The General Assembly 1993–94
- ↑ Baltimore Sun
- ↑ Washington Post
- ↑ Savannah Now
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Georgia January 1991 – January 1999 |
Succeeded by Mark Taylor |
| Georgia Senate | ||
| Preceded by
Robert H. Walling
|
Georgia State Senator from 42nd district January 1973 – January 1991 |
Succeeded by Cathey Steinberg |
