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George B. Hooks is a sixth-generation native of Sumter County, Georgia. He graduated from Americus High School and earned a BA degree from Auburn University. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from Mercer University.
Hooks was first elected to the Georgia state Senate from South Georgia's 14th District in 1990 and is one of the Senate's most influential members. A Democrat, Hooks is a member of the Senate Economic Development, Rules, Natural Resources and the Environment, and the Appropriations Committee of which he served as chairman from 1993-2003. Senator Hooks is a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC). He also serves on the Legislative Management Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Fiscal Oversight and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
While in the Senate, Hooks was responsible for the redesign of the Georgia state flag which omits the rebel cross prominent in the 1956 and 2001 flag. Politicians believed the rebel cross' association with slavery offended citizens and was hurting business in Georgia. In 2003, on the topic of the new flag, Hooks stated, 'This gives the people a flag based on history, but yet looking to the future.'
Hooks also served five terms in the state House of Representatives from 1980-90 where he was assistant administration floor leader for former Governor Joe Frank Harris and was responsible for sponsoring and working for passage of the Governor's legislative proposals.
Among Hooks' many honors, he was named an Outstanding Young Man of America in 1979 by the State Chamber of Commerce and was selected for Leadership Georgia in 1982. He has been honored as the Legislator of the Year by many organizations including the Georgia Public Health Association. Hooks received the 'Legislative Service Award' for 1991 from both the Georgia Municipal Association and the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. In both 1997 and 1998, he was honored with the 'Speak Up for a Child' award. In 1997, Senator Hooks was recognized for his support to the Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired and the Georgia Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf.
Hooks is a member and former director of the Rotary Club, the Americus-Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Eagle Scout Board of Review of the Boy Scouts of America. Hooks has two children, Bardin and Mary Ann and currently owns an insurance and real estate firm in Americus, Georgia.
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This collection contains awards, campaign materials, certificates, clippings, correspondence, financial and fundraising records, grant records, membership cards, news releases, photographs, speeches, voting materials, and writings. Also included in the collection are files on the 2001 and 2003 Georgia State flag redesign.
The following artifacts were removed and cataloged in the artifacts collection: US flag used at official state funeral ceremony of Senator Herman E. Talmadge (2002); Last GA state flag (1956-2001 design) to fly over any building in the State Capitol Complex (retired 2001); 'Temporary' GA state flag (2001-2003 design); 'Authentic Piece of Plains High School Handcrafted and Personally Signed by Jimmy Carter (1991); Piece of the lower left wing spar of Charles A. Lindbergh's first aeroplane.
Boxes 1-10 and the artifacts were originally stored in Americus, Georgia; boxes 11-26 were originally stored at Hooks' office at the state capitol in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Box 1: Correspondence, House of Representatives files, and campaign materials, 1981-1992, Box 2: Campaign and financial materials, 1984-1996, Box 3: Campaign and fundraising materials, 1990-1995, Box 4: Appropriations Act summaries, awards, clippings, correspondence, and GA flag files, 1980-2003, Box 5: Campaign and financial files (1993-2002) and panoramic photographs of senate (2003, 2005), 1993-2005, Box 6: Campaign, financial, and fundraising files, 1992-2005, Boxes 7-8: Clippings and news releases, 1958-2006, Box 9: Clippings, photographs (includes Herman Talmadge funeral), speeches, and writings, 1970s-2003, Box 10: Calendars, certificates, clippings, correspondence, membership cards, Senate booklets, subject files, 1980s-2006, Box 11: Annexation, appropriations, compensation, constituents, grant request, NET, RDC, and reapportionment files, 1993-1997, Box 12: AM reports, appropriations, BROC, budget, constituent, legislative, and study committee files, 1996-1998, Box 13: Appropriations, constituent, budget, general correspondence, and recommendation files, 1995-1997, Box 14: Legislative, subcommittee, and subject files, 1996-1998, Box 15: BROC, budget, campaign, legislative, project, and speech files, 1999-2003, Box 16: AM reports, BROC, budget, green door, flood, legislative, and recommendation files, 1995-1997, Box 17: Senate Appropriations budget files, 1994-1997, Box 18: Senate Appropriations budget, campaign. photographs, speeches, and voting files, 1995-2002, Box 19: Senate Appropriations budget, constituent, and grant files, 1997-2000, Box 20: Senate Appropriations budget, election results, and legislative files, 1994-2002, Box 21: Senate Appropriates budget and BROC files, 1994-1995, Box 22: Senate Appropriations budget, BROC, clippings, flag, legislative, and speech files, 2000-2008, Box 23: Senate Appropriations budget, correspondence, and miscellaneous information files, 2002-2008, Box 24: Appropriates Committee, BROC, budget request, constituent, and recommendation files, 1999, Box 25: Budget inquiries, legislative inquiries, appointments, pages, constituent and general, correspondence, 'Year 2000', 1/2K project, grant requests, 1998, Box 26: Appropriations Committee, budget inquiries, pages, general correspondence, grant requests, BROC, and recommendations, 1998-2000, Rolled documents: Members of the Senate (includes images) 1997-1998 term, 1999-2000 term, 2001-2002 term, 2003-2004 term, and 2005-2006 term.
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The collection is open for research.
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GHS 1783, George B. Hooks papers, 1958-2008. Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia.
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