Paul Coverdell
Paul Coverdell | |
---|---|
Georgia Senate from the 56th district | |
In office January 11, 1971 – January 8, 1973 | |
Preceded by | Jack Hardy |
Succeeded by | Tom Moore |
Personal details | |
Born | Paul Douglas Coverdell January 20, 1939 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
Died | July 18, 2000 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 61)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Nancy Nally Coverdell
(m. 1967) |
Alma mater | University of Missouri |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1962–1964 |
Rank | Captain |
Paul Douglas Coverdell (January 20, 1939 – July 18, 2000) was an American politician who served as a
Early life
Coverdell was born in
Coverdell joined the
Georgia State Senator (1970–1989)
Coverdell was unsuccessful in his first attempt to win election to the
In 1977 Coverdell lost a
In 1978, Coverdell was vacationing in Maine and decided to look up former Chairman of the Republican National Committee George H. W. Bush.[7] Coverdell found Bush's address in a phone book, went to his home, knocked on the door and introduced himself to the future president.[7] Bush and Coverdell became close friends and over the next fourteen years Bush and Coverdell would help each other on a number of occasions.[7] In 1980, Coverdell was finance chairman in Georgia when Bush first ran for the Republican nomination for president.[8] In 1988, Coverdell was the Southern steering committee chairman for the Bush campaign.[8] Coverdell's efforts paid off in 1988 when Bush carried Georgia's twelve electoral votes.[6] When Bush was elected president, Coverdell sent a letter.[8] "If I can help, I'd like to help," Coverdell wrote.[8] Bush appointed Coverdell to head the Peace Corps.[4]
Peace Corps Director (1989–1991)
Coverdell was sworn in as Director of the Peace Corps on May 2, 1989, in a ceremony in the Oval Office.[4] At the same time Coverdell stepped down from the Georgia State Senate, a post he had held for 15 years and resigned as president of Coverdell and Co. Inc to devote his time to the Peace Corps.[4] Coverdell's primary initiative as Peace Corps Director was the creation of the "World Wise Schools" program.[4] The program linked students in the United States with Peace Corps volunteers serving around the world.[4] During the time Coverdell was in office, the World Wise Schools program connected volunteers with 5,000 classrooms in the United States.[4] Coverdell was well regarded among the Peace Corps community. In the fall of 2000, after his death, a tribute was held in his honor at the Peace Corps Headquarters to honor his life and legacy.[9]
Peace Corps enters Eastern Europe
Coverdell sent the first Peace Corps volunteers to Eastern Europe after the fall of the
Coverdell's support for the Peace Corps
After Coverdell was elected to the Senate he continued his support for the Peace Corps and supported legislation to expand it.[11] In testimony before the International Relations Committee in the House of Representatives on March 18, 1998, Coverdell testified in support of expansion.[11] "I want to point out that the goal of increasing the number of Peace Corps volunteers spans three Presidencies. Under the distinguished leadership of former Director, the late Director Ruppe, the concept of moving toward 10,000 American volunteers throughout the world began to be articulated by the Reagan Administration. During my directorship we continued the pursuit of expanding the volunteer corps. We were there at a rather unique moment in world history, and the emphasis necessarily began to shift to responding to a host of nations experiencing freedom for the first time in nearly half a century, many more years, and so the emphasis began to move toward the opening, as the chairman alluded to, of new country programs. These new countries can be the beneficiary of our activities if we pursue expanding the volunteer corps."[11]
Controversy over trips to Georgia
Meanwhile, 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.[12] The Associated Press reported on September 4, 1991, that Coverdell had resigned as director of the Peace Corps and was considering a run for the Senate.[12] There is some controversy over Coverdell's use of the office of Peace Corps Director and his subsequent run for the Senate.[13] The New York Times reported on September 27, 1992, that Coverdell's tenure as head of the Peace Corps was likely to be one of the issues in the 1992 Senate race in Georgia and that Coverdell had been "accused of using the office to plot his political future in Georgia."[13] However, Charlton Heston, who came to Georgia to campaign on Coverdell's behalf in the Senate election, wrote for the National Review in 1992: "He served (as Peace Corps director) effectively, but it hardly seemed an ideal launching pad for national elective office."[14] In 2001, the Georgia trips issue returned to the news when some senators proposed renaming the Peace Corps building after Coverdell.[15]
1992 U.S. Senate election
In 1992, Coverdell faced an uphill fight to win a U.S. Senate seat and had to campaign in four separate elections (all-candidate primary, primary runoff, all-party general, and general runoff).[6] Coverdell was not a natural campaigner.[16] Senator Phil Gramm, then chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he was appalled the first time he saw Coverdell speak.[16] "Paul got up and spoke in that squeaky voice and he sort of had a way of jumping up and down when he was speaking and waving his hands," Gramm said.[16] "But little did I know ... that this man had the heart of a lion."[16]
Facing four other candidates in the Republican
Coverdell was also 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.[20]
United States Senator (1993–2000)
Service in the Senate
Coverdell served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Agriculture Committee, and Small Business Committee.
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.[4] However critics of the law say that providing immunity to a volunteer who has injured someone as a consequence of his carelessness clashes with the charitable goal of helping others, that nonprofits should be held to the same standard of care as for-profit organizations, and that the Act would not be necessary at all if nonprofits carried adequate general liability insurance.[22] Coverdell also worked against tax increases, to protect federal lands in national parks, and for humanitarian concerns.[6]
In 1998, Coverdell, running with the slogan "Coverdell Works," made history by becoming the first Republican from Georgia ever to be re-elected to the U.S. Senate.[23] 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.[8] Early in the campaign, 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.[8] After Bush locked up the nomination, Coverdell dealt with requests from senators who wanted to talk to Bush.[8] "We don't want black holes," Coverdell said.[8] "We want people feeling they are part of the effort. We want to create good will."[8]
Death
On a trip to Georgia for a weekend of speaking engagements and constituency services, Coverdell complained of a severe headache.
More than 50 senators and representatives from both parties joined 900 other mourners at Coverdell's funeral at the Peachtree United Methodist Church in Atlanta. Texas Governor George W. Bush took time from the 2000 presidential campaign to attend the services with his wife Laura. President Clinton also released a statement expressing his condolences to the Coverdell family.[1][24] Former President George H. W. Bush, a close friend of Coverdell, did not attend, but a family friend read his tribute.[1] Bush wrote:
He loved politics and was a clear example of politics being a noble calling. He leaves behind a legacy that quiet is good, caring about the other guy matters.[1]
Legacy and honors
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
Coverdell left a legacy of civility in government.
George W. Bush said:
Paul Coverdell was a man of unusual abilities and striking character. He spoke with candor when others might hide the unpleasant truth. He was wise and reasonable in a city that often lacks both virtues. He was a man of principle who understood our political system's essential need for compromise. He was respected by both allies and adversaries.[26]
Coverdell's state Senate papers are held by Georgia State University, while his papers from the Peace Corps and United States Senate are housed at the Ina Dillard Russell Library of Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, which also has a public policy institute named in his honor.[4]
The Peace Corps' headquarters in Washington, D.C., was named for Coverdell.[4] The World Wise School program that he started was rebranded with his name in his honor as well as the renaming of the Fellows/USA program, a graduate school benefit program for returned Peace Corps Volunteers, to bear his name.[27][28] He 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.
Coverdell was also honored by the
Coverdell was survived by his wife Nancy, who later became a
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Schmitt, Eric; Alvarez, Lizette (July 19, 2000). "Paul Coverdell, 61, Dies; Influential Senator From Georgia". The New York Times. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. "Paul Coverdell"". Bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ Grand Catalogue of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity - Twelfth Edition, p.69: Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company, 1985.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Paul Coverdell". Georgia College and State University. Archived from the original on May 25, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Johnson, Eric. "The Georgia Republican Party 1856-2006: 150 years to victory". Georgia Republican Party. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "New Georgia Encyclopedia: Paul Coverdell (1939–2000)". Georgiaencyclopedia.net. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ a b c "Paul Coverdell, a North Georgia Notable". Ngeorgia.com. 2000-07-19. Archived from the original on 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Alvarez, Lizette (June 19, 2000). "Bush's Senate Liaison Is a Longtime Friend of the Family". The New York Times. p. A12. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ "Tribute to Paul Coverdell". www.peacecorps.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
- ^ a b c "Remarks at a White House Ceremony Marking the Entry of the Peace Corps into Central Europe". George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center. June 15, 1990. Archived from the original on February 21, 2001. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ a b c Transcript: 48–753 CC Hearing Before The Committee On International Relations, House Of Representatives, One Hundred Fifth Congress, Second Session, March 18, 1998
- ^ a b "Leader of Peace Corps Resigns, Official Says". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 4, 1991. p. B7. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b Applebome, Peter (September 27, 1992). "Prospects Looking Up For 7 Southern Senators". The New York Times. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Heston, Charlton (November 1992). "Marching through Georgia". National Review. Archived from the original on May 6, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ Kamen, Al (February 22, 2001). "Branding Iron for the Peace Corps". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Broder, David S. (July 28, 2000). "A maker of peace". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ Bennet, James; et al. (November 5, 1992). "The 1992 Elections: State by State; South". The New York Times. p. B11. Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ISBN 1-883959-02-0. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 24, 2012.
- ^ Dendy, Dallas L. Jr. (1993). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1992". Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "Obituaries: Marjorie Goode Lopp Archived 2008-11-22 at the Wayback Machine." Athens Banner-Herald. Monday, May 27, 2002. Accessed August 17, 2009.
- ^ "Coverdell 'promoted'". Augusta Chronicle. November 6, 1999. Archived from the original on April 13, 2000. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- ^ Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine - Volunteer Protection Act of 1997
- ^ Carole VanSickle (Summer 2006). "Where Talents Converge, By Plan and By Chance". University of Georgia Research Magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
- ^ "Presidential Statement on Death of Senator Paul Coverdell". 18 July 2000. Clinton Presidential Center. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ^ United Press International. "Coverdell honored with biotech center name." April 8, 2006. (The link to the original story is dead. An archival copy of the story is available at Peace Corps Online.
- ^ "The White House. "Remarks by President Bush in Bill Signings in honor of Senator Paul Coverdell." Office of the Press Secretary. July 26, 2001". Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. 2001-07-26. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ "Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program". www.peacecorps.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
- ^ "Educators". www.peacecorps.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-04.
- ^ "Tom Crawford's Georgia Report". Gareport.com. 2005-02-02. Archived from the original on 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: Office of the Federal Register. U. S. Electoral College results, 2004 Election
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences Homepage Archived 2009-01-18 at the Wayback Machine
- U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell official website (archived from August 16, 2000)
- Paul Coverdell: 1939-2000 special coverage from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Paul Coverdell at Find a Grave