Edwards Culver "Rusty" Kidd, III (May 10, 1946 – June 2, 2020) was an American politician who was a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

from 2009 to 2017.

Background

Kidd was born in

Milledgeville, Georgia Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon and bordered on the east by the Oconee River. The rapid current of the river here made this an attractive location to bu ...

and graduated from

Baylor School Baylor School, commonly called Baylor, is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded in 1893, the school currently sits atop a 690-acre campus and enrolls students in grades 6-12, including boarding s ...

in 1969. He received his bachelor's degree in finance from

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

in 1969. He was involved in the banking and the loan businesses.

Career

He represented the 145th district, which includes Baldwin County and a small portion of Putnam County. During his tenure in the

, Kidd was the sole elected independent. Kidd was a lobbyist and represented the

Medical Association of Georgia The Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) is an organization in Georgia that advocates for physicians in the state. Established in 1849, it is an affiliate of the American Medical Association, and it has over 7,800 members. Since 1911, the MAG has pu ...

and the

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and headquartered at the RJR Plaza Building. Founded by R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the second-largest tobacco com ...

, among others. Kidd was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

for 40 years before becoming an independent. He endorsed Republican primary candidate

Herman Cain Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist within the Republican Party. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Cain grew up in Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's de ...

for president in 2012 and supported

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

in 2016.

Personal life

Kidd's father,

Culver Kidd Jr. Edwards Culver Kidd, Jr. (July 17, 1914 – December 4, 1995) was an American politician. Biography Kidd was born in Milledgeville, Georgia. He went to Georgia Military College and graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology. He served ...

, was a veteran state legislator in Georgia, and his sister,

Tillie Fowler Tillie Kidd Fowler (December 23, 1942 – March 2, 2005) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 4th congressional district from 1993 to 2001. Her father and brother served as ...

, served as a U.S. Representative for

Florida's 4th congressional district Florida's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in northeastern Florida, encompassing Nassau and parts of Duval and St. Johns counties. The district is currently represented by Republican Aaron Bean. As part of the 2020 r ...

from 1993 to 2001. As a result of a motorcycle accident in 1999, Kidd was paralyzed from the chest down and used a

motorized wheelchair A motorized wheelchair, powerchair, electric wheelchair or electric-powered wheelchair (EPW) is a wheelchair that is propelled by means of an electric motor (usually using differential steering) rather than manual power. Motorized wheelchairs a ...

to transport himself. Kidd chose not to seek reelection in 2016. He died at a hospital in Macon, Georgia on June 2, 2020, at age 74.Rusty Kidd-obituary
/ref>

References

External links

FOX 5 Atlanta
1946 births 2020 deaths 21st-century American politicians American lobbyists American politicians with disabilities Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Georgia (U.S. state) Independents Georgia (U.S. state) Republicans Members of the Georgia House of Representatives People from Milledgeville, Georgia Politicians with paraplegia University of Tennessee alumni {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub