38 Facts About Paul Coverdell

Paul Douglas Coverdell was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia, elected for the first time in 1992 and re-elected in 1998, and director of the Peace Corps from 1989 until 1991.

Paul Coverdell was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1939 and lived much of his childhood in the Midwest.

Paul Coverdell graduated from Lee's Summit High School in Lees Summit, Missouri.

Paul Coverdell joined the Army in 1962 and served as a captain in Okinawa, Taiwan, and Korea.

Paul Coverdell was unsuccessful in his first attempt to win election to the state senate in 1968 but he ran again and won in 1970 representing north Fulton County.

Paul Coverdell began serving as Senate Minority Leader in 1974, a position he held until he left the Georgia Senate in 1989.

Roy Barnes, a Democrat who would later be elected Governor of Georgia, said that when he joined the Georgia State Senate, Republican Paul Coverdell took him under his political wing.

In 1977 Paul Coverdell lost a special election for Andrew Young's congressional seat to Wyche Fowler.

In 1985 Paul Coverdell was elected Chairman of the Georgia GOP.

Paul Coverdell found Bush's address in a phone book, went to his home, knocked on the door and introduced himself to the future president.

Bush and Paul Coverdell became close friends and over the next fourteen years Bush and Paul Coverdell would help each other on a number of occasions.

In 1980, Paul Coverdell was finance chairman in Georgia when Bush first ran for the Republican nomination for president.

In 1988, Paul Coverdell was the Southern steering committee chairman for the Bush campaign.

Paul Coverdell's efforts paid off in 1988 when Bush carried Georgia's twelve electoral votes.

Paul Coverdell was sworn in as Director of the Peace Corps on May 2,1989, in a ceremony in the Oval Office.

Paul Coverdell sent the first Peace Corps volunteers to Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In testimony before the International Relations Committee in the House of Representatives on March 18,1998, Paul Coverdell testified in support of expansion.

Meanwhile, Paul Coverdell had his eye on the Senate seat held by Wyche Fowler, the man who defeated him in the special election for Congress in 1977.

The Associated Press reported on September 4,1991, that Paul Coverdell had resigned as director of the Peace Corps and was considering a run for the Senate.

In 1992, Paul Coverdell faced an uphill fight to win a US Senate seat and had to campaign in four separate elections.

Paul Coverdell was aided by a memorable ad campaign, highlighted by the "Jingle" television and radio spots featuring a ditty written and sung by senior citizen Margie Lopp.

Paul Coverdell served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Agriculture Committee, and Small Business Committee.

Paul Coverdell ESAs allow money to grow tax deferred and proceeds to be withdrawn tax free for qualified education expenses at a qualified institution.

Paul Coverdell sponsored the Volunteer Protection Act, a complex law that, in general, protects volunteers who serve nonprofit organizations and governmental entities from legal liability for tort claims based on simple negligence, provided that certain conditions are met.

Paul Coverdell worked against tax increases, to protect federal lands in national parks, and for humanitarian concerns.

In 1998, Paul Coverdell, running with the slogan "Paul Coverdell Works," made history by becoming the first Republican from Georgia ever to be re-elected to the US Senate.

In 1999 before an exploratory committee was formed, Coverdell took on the job of liaison between then Governor George W Bush's campaign and the Senate.

Early in the campaign, Paul Coverdell's job was to line up Republican senators to endorse Governor Bush instead of Senator John McCain and he succeeded in getting the endorsement of almost every Senate Republican.

Paul Coverdell never regained consciousness and died early in the evening of July 18,2000.

Bush, a close friend of Paul Coverdell, did not attend, but a family friend read his tribute.

Paul Coverdell loved politics and was a clear example of politics being a noble calling.

Paul Coverdell was often described as a quiet, soft-spoken man, but he left profound marks on the governments of both the state of Georgia and the nation in a relatively brief period of time through the Paul Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, which are used by millions of Americans to fund college educations for their children, and the establishment of a strong Republican Party in Georgia.

Paul Coverdell was a man of unusual abilities and striking character.

Paul Coverdell spoke with candor when others might hide the unpleasant truth.

Paul Coverdell was wise and reasonable in a city that often lacks both virtues.

Paul Coverdell was a man of principle who understood our political system's essential need for compromise.

Paul Coverdell was an esteemed Director of the agency and many programs were rebranded to bear his name in recognition of the work he provided to create them.

Paul Coverdell was survived by his wife Nancy, who later became a presidential elector in 2000 on the Bush-Cheney ticket.