Benjamin B. Blackburn | |
|---|---|
 Blackburn in 1950 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | James MacKay |
| Succeeded by | Elliott H. Levitas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Bentley Blackburn (1927-02-14)February 14, 1927 |
| Died | December 3, 2024(2024-12-03) (aged 97) Jasper, Georgia, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | University of North Carolina (BA) Emory University (LLB)[1] |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy;United States Naval Reserve |
| Rank | Lieutenant commander |
| Battles/wars | World War II;Korean War |
Benjamin Bentley Blackburn III (February 14, 1927 – December 3, 2024) was an American politician from theU.S. state ofGeorgia. A member of theRepublican Party, he served as member of theUnited States House of Representatives for four terms representingGeorgia's 4th congressional district from 1967 to 1975. After he left the U.S. House of Representatives, his nomination to theFederal Home Loan Bank Board was rejected by the U.S. Senate. In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, he was the president ofSoutheastern Legal Foundation.
Born inAtlanta on February 14, 1927 to Benjamin Bentley Blackburn Jr. and Sarah (Medlock) Blackburn, he attended public school there and graduated in 1947 from theUniversity of North Carolina atChapel Hill, North Carolina, and in 1954 from theEmory University School of Law in Atlanta. DuringWorld War II, Blackburn served in theUnited States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and again during theKorean War from 1950 to 1952. He was retired as alieutenant commander in theUnited States Navy Reserve. He served in theState attorney general's office from 1955 to 1957. He wasadmitted to the bar in 1954 and commenced private practice in Atlanta after service with the attorney general.
In 1966, Blackburn was elected to the90th United States Congress, having narrowly defeated freshman incumbentJames MacKay by 360 votes: 55,249 (50.2 percent) to 54,889 (49.8 percent).[2] In that same election fellow RepublicanBo Callaway challenged theDemocratLester Maddox, a strongsegregationist from Atlanta, in the1966 gubernatorial race. Though Callaway led Maddox by some three thousand votes, he did not have the required majority; under the Georgia Constitution, the state legislature broke the impasse by electing Maddox. Blackburn supported Callaway, who as a congressman had sought to curb the high costs of federal social programs.[3] Years later, Blackburn described Maddox as a "far better governor than his critics will ever admit." Then out of office himself, Blackburn noted that no claim of corruption arose against Maddox, whose administration was characterized by economic development and the appointment of African Americans to state executive positions.[4] Blackburn was reelected to Congress in the three succeeding terms but was unsuccessful in a campaign for reelection in1974.
In 1975,President of the United StatesGerald Ford nominated him to serve as a member of theFederal Home Loan Bank Board. On November 12, his nomination was rejected by theUnited States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in an 8–5 vote.[5] Blackburn served as president of theSoutheastern Legal Foundation from 1976 to 1985. In1982, he ran forGovernor of Georgia, but was defeated in the Republican primary byGeorgia State Senate member Bob Bell, 36,347 (59.2 percent) to 25,063 (40.8 percent).[6] Bell then lost in the general election to the DemocratJoe Frank Harris.
Blackburn married the former Mary Antonia Pandora, a native ofSan Pedro, Los Angeles inCalifornia, on February 23, 1952 at the chapel of the United States Naval Station inSan Diego upon his return from his second tour of duty off the coast ofKorea, after they met in 1949 when she was a nurse for theUnited States Navy atNaval Hospital Bremerton in the town ofBremerton, Washington.[7] Together, they had four children and 11 grandchildren. Mary died on June 10, 2018. Blackburn died on December 3, 2024 inJasper, Georgia, aged 97.[8]
Georgia's 4th congressional district:[9][10][11][12][13]
| Year | Republican | Votes | % | Democratic | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | √ Benjamin B. Blackburn | 55,249 | 50.2% | James MacKay | 54,889 | 49.8% | ||
| 1968 | √ Benjamin B. Blackburn | 78,753 | 57.5% | James MacKay | 58,154 | 42.5% | ||
| 1970 | √ Benjamin B. Blackburn | 85,848 | 65.2% | Franklin Shumake | 45,908 | 34.8% | ||
| 1972 | √ Benjamin B. Blackburn | 103,155 | 75.9% | F. Odell Welborn | 32,731 | 24.1% | ||
| 1974 | Benjamin B. Blackburn | 49,922 | 44.9% | √Elliott H. Levitas | 61,211 | 55.1% |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 4th congressional district January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
