Johnny Isakson, a Republican who rose from the ranks of the state Legislature to become a U.S. senator, died Sunday. He died at the age of 76.
John Isakson told The Associated Press that his father died before dawn on Sunday. John Isakson said that his father had Parkinson's disease, but the cause of death was not immediately apparent.
Isakson spent more than four decades in Georgia political life. He was the architect of a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers that he said would help revive the struggling housing market. He was the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement that 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. 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.
The Republican had suffered health problems in the past that left him dependent on a cane or wheelchair. In 2015, Isakson disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's, a chronic and progressive movement disorder that had left him with a noticeably slower, shuffling gate. He had a surgery on his back after winning reelection.
Isakson announced in August that he would retire at the end of the year after breaking four ribs in a fall.
In his farewell speech, Isakson pleaded for bipartisanship in Congress at a time of bitter divisions between Republicans and Democrats. He cited his friendship with John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat and civil rights hero, as an example of two men willing to put party aside to work on common problems.
Isakson said to solve the problem and then see what happens. People who don't have a solution are the ones who call people names and point fingers.
He ran for the Georgia House of Representatives in 1974 but lost. He served in the Georgia Legislature for 17 years, with time in both the House and Senate.
He had a few setbacks before he was elected to the Senate. He lost the race for governor in 1990. Guy Millner defeated him in 1996.
Isakson wasn't tough enough on abortion. In the primary race, Isakson ran a television advertisement in which he said that he would not vote to amend the Constitution to make criminals of women and their doctors.
He said that he trusts his wife, daughter and the women of Georgia to make the right choice.
He changed his mind on the issue. When Newt Gingrich decided not to seek reelection in 1998, Isakson jumped to Congress. Isakson was elected to fill the seat in 1999.
He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 after defeating Democrat Denise Majette. He served in the Senate with a friend from the University of Georgia.
Isakson was seen as a prohibitive favorite to succeed Sonny Perdue in the governor's mansion. He decided to seek a second term in the Senate. While there, Isakson developed a reputation as a moderate, although he rarely split with his party on key votes.
He was a leader in the negotiation of the immigration legislation that President George W. Bush wanted to push through Congress. When the immigration issue came up, Chambliss and Isakson were booed.
The No Child Left Behind Act was a major part of Bush's education plan. He pushed a compromise bill that would have expanded funding for stem cell research but also made sure that human embryos weren't harmed.
Isakson's bill would have allowed research on cells fromamniotic fluid and placentas. Isakson voted against the final version of the legislation that was later vetoed by Bush, because the bill wasn't included in the legislative package.
Isakson founded his family-owned company, Northside Real Estate, a year after graduating from the University of Georgia. It grew to be one of the largest independent residential real estate brokerage companies in the country. Isakson was in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972.
He is survived by his wife, Diane, who he married in 1968.
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The person reported from Georgia.
