Carl Sanders
| Carl Sanders | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 74th Governor of Georgia | |
|
In office January 15, 1963 – January 11, 1967 |
|
| Lieutenant | Peter Geer |
| Preceded by | Ernest Vandiver |
| Succeeded by | Lester Maddox |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1954-1956 |
|
| Member of the Georgia Senate | |
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In office 1956-1962 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Carl Edward Sanders May 15, 1925 Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died |
November 16, 2014 (aged 89) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Augusta, Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Bird Foy |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States ArmyUnited States Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 1943-1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Carl Edward Sanders Sr. (May 15, 1925 – November 16, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 74th Governor of the state of Georgia from 1963 to 1967.
Sanders was born in Augusta in Richmond County in eastern Georgia, and attended the University of Georgia at Athens on a football scholarship. A backup, left-handed quarterback, Sanders received little playing time, which prompted coach Wally Butts to recount years later, "Carl, if I had known you were going to be governor, I'd have played you more." He was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity, Order of the Greek Horsemen, Gridiron Secret Society and the Phi Kappa Literary Society. He left to fight in World War II, enlisting in the United States Army Air Corps in 1943 and became a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber pilot. After the war, he returned to complete his bachelor's and law degrees.
In 1954, Sanders won a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1956, he was elected to the Georgia Senate and served two years as president pro tempore of the chamber.
In the 1962 Democratic gubernatorial primary, Sanders defeated former Governor Marvin Griffin. Sanders received 494,978 votes (58.7 percent) to Griffin's 332,746 (39 percent). Thereafter, Griffin largely retired from politics. Sanders was the first Georgia governor from an urban area since the 1920s. He was the first modern Georgia governor nominated in the Democratic primary by the popular vote after the abolition of the County Unit System, a kind of electoral college formerly used to elect Georgia governors. When Mr. Sanders became governor in 1963 - age 37, he was the youngest in the nation at the time.
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