Former Georgia Gov. Zell Miller Dies

YOUNG HARRIS, GA — Former Georgia Gov. Zell Miller has died, the Miller Institute Foundation announced Friday morning. He was 86.

Miller, who also served as a U.S. Senator, had been treated for Parkinson's disease. He passed away peacefully Friday morning at his home in the north Georgia mountains with his family by his side, according to the institute.

"The people of Georgia have lost one of our state’s finest public servants," said Bryan Miller, CEO of the Miller Foundation. "As his grandson, I learned more from Zell Miller both professionally and personally than from anyone else I have encountered. He was more than my grandfather. He was my dear friend and mentor. I cherish all the time we spent together."

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Miller's legacy as governor includes the creation of the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship and Georgia's voluntary pre-kindergarten program. Today, more than 1.8 million students have gone to college in Georgia on HOPE Scholarships and more than 1.6 million 4-year olds have begun their education through Georgia’s Pre-K program.

Miller served as mayor of Young Harris, in the Blue Ridge mountains near the North Carolina state line. He would go on to serve in the Georgia State Senate from 1961-64 and as lieutenant governor from 1975-91 — making him the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Georgia history.

From 1991-99 he served as Georgia's 79th governor. He was called out of retirement in 2000 when Gov. Roy Barnes appointed him to serve in the U.S. Senate after the death of Sen. Paul Coverdell. He easily won a special election to keep the seat and served in Washington until 2005.

A lifelong Democrat, Miller represented the traditionally conservative "Yellow Dog" wing of the party that prevailed in Georgia and much of the South into the 1990s. While remaining loyal to the party, Miller supported Republican President George W. Bush in the 2004 election and was a keynote speaker at that year's Republican National Convention.

He had performed in the same role in 1992 at the Democratic convention that would nominate future President Bill Clinton.

Late Friday morning, tributes to Miller had begun pouring in from his political peers, Democrat and Republican alike.

"It is with a heavy heart that Sandra and I offer Shirley our deepest condolences on the passing of her devoted husband, Zell," Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, said Friday. "Georgia has lost a favorite son and a true statesman, and I’ve lost a dear friend.

"Zell’s legacy is unequaled and his accomplishments in public service are innumerable. Without question, our state and our people are better off because of him. But the mark Zell made in his private life — as a dutiful son, a loving husband, and a proud father and grandfather — are the ones of which I’m sure he was most proud. I was honored to serve with him in the senate and have cherished his counsel for decades. May God bless him and keep him."

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, who became Georgia's first Republican governor in 2002 after switching from the Democratic Party, weighed in on Twitter as well.

"Mary and I are saddened by the death of our friend, Zell Miller, son of the Georgia mountains, veteran & public servant," Perdue wrote. "We are praying for Shirley, the Miller family, and his many friends. Zell's legacy will resonate in Georgia for generations to come. May he rest in peace."

"Governor Zell Miller gave millions of Georgians hope," added Stacey Evans, a former state representative and Democratic candidate for governor. "That hope saved my life. Thank you, governor, for everything. My prayers are with the Millers."

Funeral service information for Miller had not yet been announced Friday morning. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Miller Institute Foundation in memory of Zell Bryan Miller.

Photo courtesy Miller Institute Foundation