George Perdue
| Sonny Perdue | |
|---|---|
| |
| 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture | |
|
Assumed office April 25, 2017 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Stephen Censky |
| Preceded by | Tom Vilsack |
| 81st Governor of Georgia | |
|
In office January 13, 2003 – January 10, 2011 | |
| Lieutenant |
Mark Taylor Casey Cagle |
| Preceded by | Roy Barnes |
| Succeeded by | Nathan Deal |
| Member of the Georgia Senate from the 18th district | |
|
In office January 9, 1991 – January 9, 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Barker |
| Succeeded by | Ross Tolleson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
George Ervin Perdue III December 20, 1946 Perry, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1998–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 1998) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ruff |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | David Perdue (cousin) |
| Education | University of Georgia (BS, DVM) |
| Signature |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1971–1974 |
| Rank |
 Captain
|
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American politician serving as the 31st and current United States Secretary of Agriculture since 2017. Perdue previously was the 81st Governor of Georgia from 2003 to 2011. Upon his inauguration as Governor on January 13, 2003, he became the first Republican Governor of Georgia since Reconstruction.
Perdue currently also serves on the Governors' Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Perdue is the second Secretary of Agriculture from the Deep South; the first was Mike Espy of Mississippi, who served under President Bill Clinton from January 1993 to December 1994.
On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. His nomination was transmitted to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2017. His nomination was approved by the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on March 30, by a 19–1 voice vote and by the entire Senate in a vote of 87–11 on April 24.
Perdue was chosen as designated survivor for the 2018 State of the Union Address.
Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer. He grew up and still lives in Bonaire, an unincorporated area between Perry and Warner Robins. Born George Ervin Perdue III, Perdue has been known as Sonny since childhood and prefers to be called by that name; he was sworn in and signs official documents as "Sonny Perdue". Perdue is the first cousin of U.S. Senator David Perdue.
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