George Busbee, 76; Followed Carter as Governor of Georgia

George Busbee, 76, the first Georgia governor to serve two consecutive terms, who promoted himself as “a workhorse, not a show horse,” died Friday of an apparent heart attack at the Savannah airport as he was leaving on vacation.

Busbee, who was elected in 1974, followed Jimmy Carter in the governor’s office and served from 1975 to 1983. He helped Georgia through two recessions, in part by promoting international trade and attracting high-technology businesses. He also battled prison crowding and launched the state’s first kindergarten program. Busbee helped enact a state constitutional amendment that allowed him to become the first Georgia governor to succeed himself.

Born in Vienna, Ga., Busbee attended Georgia Military College and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College before serving in the Navy. After his discharge, he earned a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1951, then began a legal practice in Albany.

He embarked on a political career in 1956 when he won a seat in the state House of Representatives. He was reelected nine times and became House majority leader in the late 1960s.

He won the governor’s race in 1974 over better-known rivals such as former Gov. Lester Maddox and state highway director Bert Lance, who later served as President Carter’s budget chief.