Was Sonny Perdue ever governor of Georgia?
George Ervin Sonny Perdue III, the son of farmer Ervin and teacher Ophie, was born on December 20, 1946, in Perry. Perdue attended the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens after finishing high school in Warner Robins, where he played as a walk-on for the school’s football team. The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine awarded…
George Ervin Sonny Perdue III, the son of farmer Ervin and teacher Ophie, was born on December 20, 1946, in Perry. Perdue attended the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens after finishing high school in Warner Robins, where he played as a walk-on for the school’s football team. The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine awarded Perdue a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1971. From 1971 to 1974, he was a member of the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Ohio. In just three years, he rose to the rank of captain. He married Atlantan Mary Ruff in 1972. The couple has four kids two sons and two daughters and has periodically taken in foster kids who were waiting to be adopted.
Following his time in the air force, Perdue temporarily practiced veterinary medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina, before moving back to Georgia. He built a prosperous little business in Bonaire, Houston County, with a focus mostly on agriculture and transportation.
Was Sonny Perdue every governor of Georgia?
From 2003 through 2011, Sonny Perdue was the governor of Georgia for two terms. Since Rufus Bullock was chosen as governor during the Reconstruction era in 1868, he was the first Republican elected by Georgians. In 2022, he was appointed chancellor of the University System of Georgia after serving as the United States Secretary of Agriculture.
