Sonny Perdue

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Sonny Perdue
Secretary Sonny Perdue official photo.jpg
31st United States Secretary of Agriculture
Assumed office
April 25, 2017
President Donald Trump
Deputy Stephen Censky
Preceded by Tom Vilsack
81st Governor of Georgia
In office
January 13, 2003 – January 10, 2011
Lieutenant Mark Taylor
Casey Cagle
Preceded by Roy Barnes
Succeeded by Nathan Deal
Member of the Georgia Senate
from the 18th district
In office
January 9, 1991 – January 9, 2002
Preceded by Ed Barker
Succeeded by Ross Tolleson
Personal details
Born George Ervin Perdue III
(1946-12-20) December 20, 1946 (age 71)
Perry, Georgia, U.S.
Political party Republican (1998–present)
Other political
affiliations		 Democratic (before 1998)
Spouse(s) Mary Ruff
Children 4
Relatives David Perdue (cousin)
Education University of Georgia (BS, DVM)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Air Force
Years of service 1971–1974
Rank US military captain's rank.gif Captain

George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III[1] (born December 20, 1946) is an American politician serving as the 31st and current United States Secretary of Agriculture, since 2017. Perdue previously was the 81st Governor of Georgia, from 2003 to 2011. Upon his inauguration as Governor on January 13, 2003, he became the first Republican Governor of Georgia since Reconstruction.[2]

Perdue currently also serves on the Governors' Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.[2] Perdue is the second Secretary of Agriculture from the Deep South; the first was Mike Espy of Mississippi, who served under President Bill Clinton from January 1993 to December 1994.

On January 18, 2017, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be Secretary of Agriculture. His nomination was transmitted to the U.S. Senate on March 9, 2017.[3] His nomination was approved by the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on March 30, by a 19–1 voice vote[4] and by the entire Senate in a vote of 87–11 on April 24.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia, the son of Ophie Viola (Holt), a teacher, and George Ervin Perdue Jr., a farmer.[1][6] He grew up and still lives in Bonaire, an unincorporated area between Perry and Warner Robins. Born George Ervin Perdue III, Perdue has been known as Sonny since childhood and prefers to be called by that name; he was sworn in and signs official documents as "Sonny Perdue". Perdue is the first cousin of U.S. Senator David Perdue.[7]

Perdue played quarterback at Warner Robins High School and was a walk-on at the University of Georgia,[8] where he was also a member of the Beta-Lambda chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.[9]

In 1971, Perdue earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and worked as a veterinarian before becoming a small business owner, eventually starting three small businesses.[10][11]

Perdue is not related to the family that owns and operates Perdue Farms (commonly associated with "Perdue Chicken").[12][13]

Career[edit]

Perdue and other U.S. state governors with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Perdue in 2007
Perdue with U.S. Navy sailors in October 2010.
Perdue campaigning for former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) in 2008

Perdue served in the U.S. Air Force, rising to the rank of captain before his discharge.

State Senator (1991–2002)[edit]

After serving as a member of the Houston County Planning & Zoning Commission in the 1980s, Perdue ran for a seat in the Georgia General Assembly.[10] He defeated Republican candidate Ned Sanders in 1990 and succeeded Democratic incumbent Ed Barker as the senator representing the 18th district.[14]

Perdue was elected as a Democrat in 1991, 1994, and 1996. He served as his party's leader in the Senate from 1994 to 1997 and as president pro tempore.[15]

His committee assignments included Ethics, Finance & Public Utilities, Health & Human Services, Reapportionment and Economic Development, Tourism & Cultural Affairs.

He switched party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1998 and was reelected to the Senate as a Republican. He also won reelection in 2000.

Governor of Georgia (2003–2011)[edit]

Elections[edit]

2002

In December 2001, Perdue resigned as state senator and devoted himself entirely to running for the office of Governor of Georgia. He won the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial election, defeating Democratic incumbent Roy Barnes 51% to 46%, with Libertarian candidate Garrett Michael Hayes taking 2% of the vote.[16] He became the first Republican governor of Georgia in over 130 years since Benjamin F. Conley.[2]

2006

In 2006, Perdue was re-elected to a second term in the 2006 Georgia gubernatorial election, winning nearly 58% of the vote. His Democratic opponent was Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor. Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes was also on the ballot.[17]

Policy issues[edit]

Economic issues

Perdue advocated reforms designed to cut waste in government, most notably the sale of surplus vehicles and real estate.[18] Prior to Perdue's becoming governor, no state agency had even compiled an inventory of what assets the state owned.[18]

In January 2003, Perdue signed an executive order prohibiting himself and all other state employees from receiving any gift worth more than $25.[19] During his governorship, Perdue collected at least $25,000 in gifts, including sporting event tickets and airplane flights.[19]

Late in the evening of March 29, 2005, the penultimate day of the legislative session, Representative Larry O'Neal, who also worked part-time as Perdue’s personal lawyer, introduced legislation making capital gains tax owed on Georgia land sales deferrable if the income goes to purchase out-of-state land, also, unusually, making the tax break retroactive.[20] Perdue signed the legislation into law on April 12, 2005, three days before tax day.[20] Perdue then used the new law on his 2004 tax return to defer $100,000 in taxable gains from the sale of land.[20]

In 2007, Perdue convinced a skeptical legislature to approve a $19 million fishing tourism program he called Go Fish Georgia. Perdue then decided that the Go Fish Education Center would be built down the road from his home.[8]

Education reform

In education, Perdue promoted the return of most decision-making to the local level. After Perdue took office, in 2003 and 2004, Georgia moved up from last place in the country in SAT scores. Although it returned to last place in 2005,[21] Georgia rose to 49th place in 2006 in the combined math and reading mean score, including the writing portion added to the test that year.[22] In 2007, Georgia moved up to 46th place.[23] In 2008, Georgia moved up again, to 45th place.[24] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools.[25]

Georgia state flag

After Democratic Governor Roy Barnes replaced the 1956 state flag, which was adopted by Georgia to protest integration, because it featured a battle flag emblem of the Confederacy, Perdue promised in his 2002 election campaign that he would let the state's citizens vote to determine the state flag of Georgia.[26] The choices given to Georgian voters were a modified version of the First National Flag of the Confederate States of America with the Georgia State Seal prominently displayed inside a circle of 13 stars, or the version of the flag created in 2001 by the Roy Barnes administration. The design of the 2001 Georgian flag was widely unpopular, being derisively named the "Barnes flag", and the North American Vexillological Association deemed it the ugliest U.S. state flag.[27] Perdue disappointed some Georgians by not including the 1956 flag as a choice on the ballot despite his campaign promises to do so. However, Perdue was faced with a Democratic House that would not consider having the 1956 flag on the referendum due to its Confederate origins, and he needed support for a tobacco tax he wanted to pass to raise revenue.[28] Georgia voters chose the flag resembling the Confederate flag.[2]

Environmental issues

In 2004, Perdue sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block environmental regulations on reformulated gasoline.[29] In a 2014 editorial published by National Review, Perdue criticized attempts by "some on the left or in the mainstream media" to connect climate change to weather events. Perdue wrote that "liberals have lost all credibility when it comes to climate science because their arguments have become so ridiculous and so obviously disconnected from reality."[30]

Immigration

In 2006, Perdue signed a law that gave Georgia "some of the nation's toughest measures against illegal immigrants".[31]

Georgia drought

On November 13, 2007, while Georgia suffered from one of the worst droughts in several decades, Perdue led a group of several hundred people in a prayer on the steps of the state Capitol. Perdue addressed the crowd, saying "We’ve come together here simply for one reason and one reason only: To very reverently and respectfully pray up a storm" and "God, we need you; we need rain".[32]

African-Americans in the Confederacy

According to a March 5, 2008, proclamation by Perdue, "Among those who served the Confederacy were many African-Americans, both free and slave, who saw action in the Confederate armed forces in many combat roles. According to the Georgia government's website on Confederate History Month, they also participated in the manufacture of products for the war effort, built naval ships, and provided military assistance and relief efforts..."[33] The proclamation was criticized by historians for its historical inaccuracies,[34] although there were in fact African-Americans who served the Confederacy, both voluntarily and compulsory.[35]

Disaster preparedness

In 2008, Perdue worked with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to implement Ready Georgia, a campaign to increase disaster preparedness throughout the state.[36] The next year, Georgia was affected by the 2009 Southeastern United States floods, which were the most severe floods in Georgia's recorded history.[37] The floods resulted in Perdue declaring a state of emergency in 17 counties.[38]

Ethics complaints[edit]

During his governorship, the Georgia State Ethics Commission received thirteen complaints against Perdue.[19] The State Ethics Commission ruled against Perdue twice, finding that Perdue had taken improper campaign contributions from donors including SunTrust Banks, and that he had improperly used one of his family business's airplanes on campaign, for which the Commission, unusually, fined the sitting governor.[19]

Land purchases[edit]

In mid-2003, Perdue purchased 101 acres (0.41 km2) of land next to his Houston County, Georgia home.[39] The land was adjacent to the 20,000-acre Oaky Woods preserve being sold by Weyerhaeuser.[39] The land was eventually sold to developers; however, the state was evaluating bidding on the property and keeping it as a reserve.[39] After the state dropped out of the bidding and the land was sold to developers, the value of Perdue's property more than doubled.[39] Perdue failed to disclose his ownership of the property in required financial disclosure forms.[39]

In December 2004, Perdue bought $2 million worth of land near Disney World from a developer whom he had previously appointed to the state's economic development board.[8]

Post-governorship[edit]

Perdue was constitutionally ineligible to seek a third consecutive term as governor in the 2010 Georgia gubernatorial election. In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitates the export of U.S. goods and services.[40]

During meetings with Georgia state port officials, then-Governor Perdue discussed his family business's use of a terminal, then started a new export company in Savannah soon after leaving office.[19]

Secretary of Agriculture (2017–present)[edit]

Perdue being sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas

On January 18, 2017, incoming President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue to be United States Secretary of Agriculture. The United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry overwhelmingly approved his nomination on March 30, with a 19–1 vote. The sole vote against him came from Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Senator David Perdue (R-GA) abstained, as he is the nominee's first cousin. He was confirmed by the Senate on April 24,[41] and sworn in by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.[42]

During his tenure as Secretary of Agriculture, Perdue has focused on helping new farmers get started in agriculture.[43] In August 2017, he announced a mentoring program for new farmers. Others issues addressed by Perdue include assisting rural communities, helping farmers operate with less regulation, increasing exports, passing the 2018 Farm Bill, and addressing crop damage caused by dicamba.[44]

Perdue was the designated survivor on January 30, 2018 for President Trump's first State of the Union address.[45]

Personal life[edit]

Perdue and his wife, Mary (née Ruff), were married in 1972 after dating for four years.[46] They have four children (Leigh, Lara, Jim, and Dan),[46] fourteen grandchildren (six boys and eight girls), and have also been foster parents for many children.[47] Perdue lives in Bonaire, Georgia.[48]

Perdue is an avid sportsman. He enjoys flying and, in a 2003 incident, was accused of flying a state helicopter without a license.[49]

In 2006, while still governor, Perdue made a cameo appearance as the coach of the East Carolina Pirates football team in the movie We Are Marshall, large portions of which were filmed in Georgia.[50]

In 2006, Perdue's financial disclosure forms revealed that he had a net worth of approximately $6 million and received compensation of $700,000 that year.[51]

Electoral history[edit]

As State Senator[edit]

Senator 18th district, 1990
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Sonny Perdue 17,932 70.5
Republican Ned Sanders 7,451 29.5
Turnout 25,383
Democratic hold Swing
Senator 18th district, 1996
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Democratic Sonny Perdue (Incumbent) 28,920 100
Turnout 28,920
Democratic hold Swing
Senator 18th district, 1998
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Sonny Perdue (Incumbent) 24,543 100
Turnout 24,543
Republican hold Swing
Senator 18th district, 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Sonny Perdue (Incumbent) 30,681 69.2
Democratic Miller Heath 13,647 30.8
Turnout 44,328
Republican hold Swing

As Governor of Georgia[edit]

Georgia gubernatorial election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Sonny Perdue 1,041,677 51.4
Democratic Roy Barnes (Incumbent) 937,062 46.3
Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes 47,122 2.3
Turnout 2,025,861
Republican gain from Democratic Swing
Georgia gubernatorial election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Sonny Perdue (incumbent) 1,229,724 57.9 +6.5
Democratic Mark Taylor 811,049 38.2 -8.0
Libertarian Garrett Michael Hayes 81,412 3.8 +1.5
Turnout 2,102,185
Republican hold Swing

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Sonny Perdue (b. 1946)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. August 25, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016. 
  2. ^ a b c d "Former Georgia governor tapped as Trump's agriculture secretary, sources say". NBC News. January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017. 
  3. ^ Congressional Record for March 9, 2017
  4. ^ "Business Meeting Transcript" (PDF). U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry. 
  5. ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 115th Congress – 1st Session". Senate.gov. Retrieved June 13, 2017. 
  6. ^ "Ancestry of Sonny Perdue". Wargs.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016. 
  7. ^ "Meet David Perdue—He Might Be Georgia's Next Senator". The Atlantic. May 21, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2016. 
  8. ^ a b c James Salzer, Greg Bluestein and Shannon McCaffrey (January 19, 2017). "Trump taps Perdue as agriculture chief". Atlanta Journal Constitution. 
  9. ^ Kappa Sigma Fraternity: Prominent Alumni
  10. ^ a b National Governors Association: Sonny Perdue
  11. ^ Tony Pugh and Anita Kumar (January 18, 2017). "Trump taps former Georgia governor for agriculture secretary". McClatchy. 
  12. ^ "Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue – Perdue Farms Plans Major Expansion in Georgia". Sonnyperdue.georgia.gov. July 14, 2005. Retrieved June 13, 2017. 
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2017. 
  14. ^ Our Campaigns: GA Senate 18
  15. ^ Charles S. Bullock, III, The Georgia Political Almanac, The General Assembly 1993–94.
  16. ^ "Official Results of the November 5, 2002 General Election". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved June 10, 2011. 
  17. ^ "Georgia Election Results". Georgia Secretary of State. Retrieved December 2, 2010. 
  18. ^ a b Bipartisan Policy: Sonny Perdue Archived February 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine.
  19. ^ a b c d e Eric Lipton; Steve Eder (March 9, 2017). "Ethical Lapses Trail Nominee For Agriculture – Conflicts of Interest as Governor of Georgia". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved March 9, 2017. 
  20. ^ a b c Salzer, James (October 1, 2006). "3 minutes, 1 tax bill, $100,000 for Sonny Perdue". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 9, 2017. 
  21. ^ Johnny Jackson (August 30, 2005). "Georgia SAT scores in the basement". Clayton News Daily. 
  22. ^ "Georgia climbs in SAT rankings despite drop in score". AccessWDUN. August 29, 2006. 
  23. ^ "State, local SAT scores slip". Early County News. September 5, 2007. 
  24. ^ "2008 SAT Results Highlight Need for Rigor" (Press release). Georgia Department of Education. August 26, 2008. 
  25. ^ Bill Crane (January 2011). "Georgia View: Sonny Perdue's Non-Legacy". GeorgiaTrend. 
  26. ^ Joshua Green (March 2004). "The Southern Cross". The Atlantic. 
  27. ^ Larry Copeland (March 2, 2004). "Georgia leaders try to skip controversy in flag vote". USA Today. 
  28. ^ Jim Galloway (January 19, 2017). "Tom Price, Kasim Reed, Sonny Perdue and the Art of the Georgia Deal". Atlanta Journal Constitution. 
  29. ^ Sonny Perdue (October 20, 2004). "Statement of Governor Sonny Perdue Regarding Court Ruling to Stay Transition to Reformulated Gasoline". State of Georgia. 
  30. ^ Sonny Perdue (May 8, 2014). "The Common Core Blame Game". National Review. 
  31. ^ "Georgia Enacts a Tough Law on Immigrants". New York Times. Associated Press. April 18, 2006. 
  32. ^ Greg Bluestein (January 10, 2017). "That time Sonny Perdue prayed for rain". Atlanta Journal Constitution. 
  33. ^ The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader: The "Great Truth"
  34. ^ Josh Israel (January 2, 2017). "Trump could name Agriculture Secretary whose drought strategy was to pray for rain". Think Progress. 
  35. ^ John Stauffer (January 20, 2015). "Yes, There Were Black Confederates. Here's Why". The Root. 
  36. ^ "About Us". Ready Georgia. Retrieved November 10, 2009. 
  37. ^ Edward Martin (September 24, 2009). "USGS Release: Atlanta Flooding Sets New Records". USGS. Retrieved September 27, 2009. 
  38. ^ "Gov. Sonny Perdue issues state of emergency for 17 Georgia counties". Savannah Now. September 21, 2009. 
  39. ^ a b c d e "Perdue fails to disclose '04 purchase of land". Associated Press. 
  40. ^ HELENA BOTTEMILLER EVICH (January 18, 2017). "Trump to announce Sonny Perdue for Agriculture". Politico. 
  41. ^ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote PN90". www.senate.gov. Retrieved April 24, 2017. 
  42. ^ "Sonny Perdue Sworn in as 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture". USDA Press. April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017. 
  43. ^ Eller, Donnelle (August 5, 2017). "Perdue tells second Iowa Ag Summit he wants to support new farmers". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 15, 2017. 
  44. ^ McGinnis, Mike (August 5, 2017). "USDA's Sonny Perdue on a Roll In Iowa". Agriculture.com. Retrieved August 15, 2017. 
  45. ^ "Sonny Perdue is Trump's 'designated survivor' for State of the Union 2018". January 30, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018. 
  46. ^ a b Sandra D. Deal, Jennifer W. Dickey, Catherine M. Lewis. Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion. 
  47. ^ "Perdue's wife takes up cause". Athens Banner-Herald. March 1, 2003. 
  48. ^ "Agriculture secretary pick Perdue led big political change in Georgia". Star Tribune. January 25, 2017. 
  49. ^ "Official: Perdue flew copter without license". Athens Banner-Herald. April 29, 2003. 
  50. ^ "±Governor Perdue Makes Acting Debut in "We Are Marshall"". State of Georgia. June 14, 2006. 
  51. ^ Tom Crawford (May 3, 2006). "Georgia's affluent candidates". 

External links[edit]

Georgia State Senate
Preceded by
Ed Barker 		Member of the Georgia Senate
from the 18th district
1991–2001 		Succeeded by
Ross Tolleson
Party political offices
Preceded by
Guy Millner 		Republican nominee for Governor of Georgia
2002, 2006 		Succeeded by
Nathan Deal
Preceded by
Mitt Romney 		Chair of the Republican Governors Association
2006–2007 		Succeeded by
Rick Perry
Political offices
Preceded by
Roy Barnes 		Governor of Georgia
2003–2011 		Succeeded by
Nathan Deal
Preceded by
Tom Vilsack 		United States Secretary of Agriculture
2017–present 		Incumbent
Current U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Ryan Zinke
as Secretary of the Interior 		Order of Precedence of the United States
Secretary of Agriculture 		Succeeded by
Wilbur Ross
as Secretary of Commerce
Current U.S. presidential line of succession
Preceded by
Ryan Zinke
as Secretary of the Interior 		9th in line
Secretary of Agriculture 		Succeeded by
Wilbur Ross
as Secretary of Commerce
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