Eric Johnson (Georgia politician)
Eric Johnson (born August 20, 1953) is an American politician who served in the Georgia State Senate representing the 1st District, comprising all of Bryan and Liberty counties and part of Chatham County. He resigned his seat in 2009, after years in the Georgia General Assembly, to be a candidate to succeed term-limited Sonny Perdue for Governor of Georgia in 2010.
Eric Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Georgia State Senate from the 1st district | |
| In office January 9, 1995 – September 15, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Coleman, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Buddy Carter |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 153rd district | |
| In office January 11, 1993 – January 9, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Kingston |
| Succeeded by | Burke Day |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 20, 1953 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kathryn |
| Children | Righton (attorney), Marcus (minister) |
| Profession | Architect |
A Republican, he was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1992, giving up his seat after one term to run for the state senate. He was re-elected to the state senate in 1996. His colleagues voted him as the Minority Leader in 1998; he served until 2003. In 2003, following the 2002 election of the first Republican Governor in over 130 years, several Democrats changed parties and Republicans gained the state senate majority. Johnson was elected as the Senate President Pro Tempore. The Republican majority stripped Democratic Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor of most of his powers, so for all intents and purposes Johnson served as lieutenant governor. The power of the lieutenant governor was restored back to current lieutenant governor Casey Cagle, a Republican, in 2007.