35 Facts About Johnny Isakson

John Hardy Isakson was an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2005 to 2019.

Johnny Isakson opened a real estate branch for Northside Realty and later served 22 years as the company's president.

Johnny Isakson served seven terms, including four as minority leader.

Johnny Isakson was the Republican candidate for governor of Georgia in 1990, but lost.

Johnny Isakson unsuccessfully ran in the Republican primary in the 1996 US Senate election.

Johnny Isakson ran for the US Senate in 2004 after Democratic incumbent Zell Miller opted not to run for re-election.

Johnny Isakson became the senior senator from Georgia when Saxby Chambliss retired in 2015.

On December 31,2019, midway through his third Senate term, Johnny Isakson resigned from the Senate due to health concerns and was succeeded by fellow Republican Kelly Loeffler who was appointed by Brian Kemp, the Republican Governor of Georgia, to fill the vacant seat.

Johnny Isakson died two years later on December 19,2021.

Johnny Isakson was born on December 28,1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Julia and Edwin Andrew Johnny Isakson, a Greyhound bus driver, who later established an Atlanta real estate firm.

Johnny Isakson's paternal grandparents were of Swedish descent, and his paternal grandfather was born in Ostersund.

Johnny Isakson's mother was of mostly British ancestry, and her family has been in the American South since the colonial era.

Johnny Isakson served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972, leaving service as a staff sergeant.

Johnny Isakson enrolled at the University of Georgia, where he became a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon social fraternity.

Johnny Isakson became company president in 1979, a post he held for 22 years, during which Northside became the biggest independent real estate company in the Southeast and one of the largest in the United States.

In 1974, Johnny Isakson first ran for the Georgia House of Representatives in an eastern Cobb County district and lost.

Johnny Isakson was the Republican candidate for Governor of Georgia in 1990.

Johnny Isakson's campaign was managed by Jay Morgan while Miller's campaign was managed by James Carville.

In 1996, Johnny Isakson ran in the Republican primary for the US Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic US Senator Sam Nunn.

In December 1996, Johnny Isakson was appointed head of the State Board of Education by Gov.

Johnny Isakson was a member of the US House Education Committee.

In October 2002, Johnny Isakson voted in favor of the authorization of force against the country of Iraq.

Johnny Isakson faced 8th District US Congressman Mac Collins and businessman Herman Cain in the primary.

Johnny Isakson's election marked the first time in Georgia's history that both of the state's US Senate seats had been held by Republicans, as Saxby Chambliss had won the other seat by defeating Nunn's successor, Max Cleland, two years earlier.

Johnny Isakson resigned from the Senate for health reasons on December 31,2019.

Johnny Isakson is the longest serving Republican senator in the history of Georgia.

When compared to his Republican peers in the Senate, Johnny Isakson was close to center of his party; he was neither significantly more conservative nor liberal than his peers.

In 2005, Johnny Isakson reportedly identified himself as pro-life with exceptions.

In July 2019, Johnny Isakson was one of eight senators to introduce the Agricultural Trucking Relief Act, a bill that would alter the definition of an agricultural commodity to include both horticultural and aquacultural products and promote a larger consistency in regulation through both federal and state agencies as part of an attempt to ease regulatory burdens on trucking and the agri-community.

Johnny Isakson voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and voted more than 60 times to repeal it.

In 2019, Johnny Isakson voted to support President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration regarding border security.

Johnny Isakson's wife is a watercolor artist, and served as honorary co-chair for Marietta's Theatre in the Square playhouse in 2007.

In June 2015, Johnny Isakson disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but added that the diagnosis would not affect his 2016 re-election plans.

Johnny Isakson continued his campaign and was elected in November 2016 to serve a third six-year term in the Senate.

Johnny Isakson died at his home in Atlanta on December 19,2021, nine days short of his 77th birthday.