Last Override Occurred During Last
Republican Governor's Administration 130-Plus Years Ago
(1/29/08) Sen. David Shafer, R-Duluth, has looked into this and
tells us the last gubernatorial veto of a general bill to be overriden
by the Georgia Legislature just happened to be one cast by the last
Republican governor prior to Sonny Perdue - Benjamin Conley.
Conley, who had been president of the Senate, became governor in
1871 amid the turmoil of the closing days of Reconstruction. Federal
troops had been withdrawn from the state and his predecessor, Republican
Rufus Bullock, fled the office and the state after voters elected
a Democratic Legislature which was moving to impeach him.
The General Assembly approved legislation calling for an immediate
special election, which Conley vetoed. The Legislature overrode
his veto, the special election was held and Democrat James Milton
Smith became governor in 1872.
No Republican was elected governor after that until Perdue’s
victory over incumbent Roy Barnes in 2002.
The Legislature overrode two of then-Gov. Jimmy Carter's vetoes
in 1974, but they were local bills.
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