Fort Towson

Add links

Bob Irvin (born September 9, 1948)[1] was an early leader of the modern Republican Party in Georgia in the United States. He was a member of the Long Range Planning Committee in the 1970s, along with Mack Mattingly, Paul Coverdell, Newt Gingrich, and John Linder. He served 15 years in the Georgia House of Representatives, in the 1970s and again in the 1990s.[2] He ran for the State House in 1990, but lost the Republican primary to Dorothy Felton by 227 votes.[3] He was elected to his second stint in the State House after incumbent Mitch Skandalakis was elected to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in November 1993.[4][5] He was the House Republican Leader 1994–2000, known for passing welfare reform and tax cuts.[6] He ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in 2002, losing to Saxby Chambliss. He attracted attention in early 2005 by publicly calling for Ralph Reed to withdraw from the race for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.[7]

Biography

Irvin grew up in Roswell, Georgia. He was valedictorian at Lovett School in 1966, and Phi Beta Kappa at College of William & Mary, where he was editor of the newspaper. He graduated from Emory Law School on a full scholarship and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School. He was a partner at McKinsey & Co. and at Bridge Strategy Group.[8]

He has been interviewed on video 3 times by the University of Georgia and once by West Georgia on the growth of the Republican party in Georgia (videos available on the internet). Irvin was a founding member of the Roswell Historical Society, and has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Atlanta Historical Society, Georgia Common Cause, and the Atlanta Chamber Players.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Profile, dlg.galileo.usg.edu. Accessed June 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "georgia.gov - Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments". Georgia.gov. August 19, 2005. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - GA State House 022 - R Primary Race". July 27, 1990.
  4. ^ "The Atlanta Constitution". November 3, 1993. p. 31.
  5. ^ "GGA - Hon. Robert Irvin (GA SH 045)". Archived from the original on 2002-11-03.
  6. ^ "Unhappy Republicans make changes". Rome News-Tribune. AP. November 14, 2000. p. 2.
  7. ^ Dick Pettys (June 19, 2005). "Reed makes his first run for office". Spartanburg Herald-Tribune. p. 6.
  8. ^ "Bob Irvin". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 7, 2021.

External links

Georgia House of Representatives
Preceded by
James Wilson Morgan
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 23rd district

1973–1979
Succeeded by
Luther S. Colbert
Preceded by Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
from the 45th district

1993–2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Joe Burton
Minority Caucus Chairman of the Georgia House of Representatives
1976–1978
Succeeded by
Joe Burton
Preceded by
Steve Stancil
Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives
1994–2000
Succeeded by