George Washington "Buddy" Darden III (born November 22, 1943) is an American politician and lawyer from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He served in the state house and then for more than five terms as Congressman from Georgia. He served in his career as a legislator as a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life

Darden was born in

Hancock County, Georgia Hancock County is a county located in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,735. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793, and named for John Hancock, a ...

. He lived in

Sparta, Georgia Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Georgia, Hancock County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The city's population was 1,357 at the 2020 census. History Sparta was founded in 1795 in the newly formed Hancock ...

and attended public schools, graduating from Sparta High School in 1961. He earned his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

( A.B.) at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

(UGA) in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

in 1965 and

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

and

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the UGA School of Law in 1967 and 1969. He received many honors and awards while a college student, including being elected as president of the student body.

Career

Law

Upon graduation from law school, Darden started his law career as assistant district attorney in

Cobb County, Georgia Cobb County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766, ...

, serving from 1968 to 1972. He was elected as County District Attorney and served from 1973 to 1977.

Legislative

In 1980 Darden was elected to 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 (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

as 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

representing District 19-Post3 (

Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. It is the state's third most populous cou ...

). He took office in January 1981, and served until 1983, when he resigned to campaign for an open Congressional seat.

Congress

Upon the sudden death of

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Larry McDonald Lawrence Patton McDonald (April 1, 1935 – September 1, 1983) was an American physician, politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Georgia's 7th congressional district as a Democrat from 1975 until ...

, who was killed in the 1983 downing of

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (KE007/KAL007)In aviation, two types of Airline codes, airline designators are used. The flight number KAL 007, with the ICAO code for Korean Air Lines, was used by air traffic control. In ticketing, however, IAT ...

, Darden won a special election to fill McDonald's seat for the remainder of the Ninety-eighth Congress. He resigned from the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

. During his tenure in office, Darden sponsored 61 bills, including H.R.2044, legislation that authorize and directs the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

to assist the State of Georgia in relocating a highway affecting the

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in northern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, preserves the sites of two major battles of the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Siege of Chattanooga. A detailed ...

in Georgia. Darden shepherded numerous bills, including those benefiting Lockheed Aeronautical Corp., through Congress as part of the Armed Services Committee and co-sponsored others. "You don't have to introduce a tiny little bill with your name on it to make a difference," he said. Darden was a member of the Standards of Official Conduct committee, elected in 1991, and served on the Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Darden has supported socially conservative positions: he opposed federal funding for

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

abortions except in cases of rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother. He supported the death penalty. Darden advocated maintaining a strong defense in spite of improved East-West relations. He said any money saved from a "peace dividend" should go to deficit reduction. In 1992, the

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting p ...

gave Darden's 1991 voting record 40 points out of 100; the

American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for Conservatism in the United States, conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Poli ...

gave him 35 points. He was reelected to five more terms until 1994, when he was defeated by

Bob Barr Robert Laurence Barr Jr. (born November 5, 1948) is an American attorney and politician who served as president of the National Rifle Association from 2024 to 2025. He previously served as a federal prosecutor and as a U.S. Representative, repr ...

. He sought the Democratic nomination for his old seat, now numbered as the 11th district, in 2002, but lost to Roger Kahn. He was the last white Democrat to represent the Atlanta suburbs until Carolyn Bourdeaux was elected from a nearby district in 2020.

After Congress

Since leaving Congress, Darden has served as a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

s in

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. In 2000, President Clinton announced the recess appointment of Darden to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors of the

Overseas Private Investment Corporation The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) was the United States Government's Development finance institution until it merged with the Development Credit Authority (DCA) of the United States Agency for International Development (U ...

(OPIC). Darden also served as chairman of the Judicial Nominating Commission in the administration of Georgia Governor

Roy Barnes Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11, 1948)Cook, James F. (2005). ''The Governors of Georgia, 1754-2004, 3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded.'' Macon, GA: Mercer University Press. is an American attorney and politician who served as the 80th governo ...

from 1999 to 2003. In 1992, Darden became a member of the Board of Trustees for

LaGrange College LaGrange College is a private college in LaGrange, Georgia. Founded in 1831 as a female educational institution, LaGrange is the oldest private college in Georgia. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers more than 55 academ ...

LaGrange, Georgia LaGrange is a city in and the county seat of Troup County, Georgia, United States. The population of the city was estimated to be 30,858 in 2020 by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the principal city of the LaGrange, Georgia Micropolitan Statist ...

. In 2002, Darden was named Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and served for five years. He retired as Chair in 2007. In recognition of his service to the college, LaGrange College conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on May 19, 2007. As is customary, Darden was the commencement speaker at the graduation ceremony during which he was honored. Darden is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of

Issue One Issue One is an American nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce the role of money in politics. It aims to increase public awareness of what it views as problems within the present campaign finance system, and to reduce the influence of money ...

. Since 1995, Darden has been a partner in the Atlanta law firm of Denton's (formerly Long, Aldridge & Norman, then McKenna, Long & Aldridge). In 2018, he left Denton's to join Atlanta law firm Pope McGlamry as senior counsel.

Personal life

Darden married Lillian Budd (born May 15, 1945) on February 18, 1968. They had two children together: Lillian Christine Darden and George Washington Darden IV. Darden currently resides in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Darden, George Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers University of Georgia alumni LaGrange College Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives 1943 births Living people People from Sparta, Georgia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly Candidates in the 2002 United States elections District attorneys in Georgia (U.S. state) Members of Congress who became lobbyists 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives