Joseph Elvin "J. Ebb" Duncan (February 18, 1909 – January 19, 1980) was an American politician from the U.S. state of

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 ...

. Duncan served in 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 ...

from 1949 until 1964. He also served in the

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral leg ...

from 1973 until his death in 1980. He was a member of the

United States Democratic party The Democratic Party is a Centre-left politics, center-left political parties in the United States, political party in the United States. One of the Major party, major parties of the U.S., it was founded in 1828, making it the world's oldes ...

Biography

Joseph Ervin Duncan, better known as "J. Ebb," was born on February 18, 1909, in Douglasville, Georgia to John Raymond and Pearl (Perkins) Duncan. Duncan graduated from Douglas County High School in 1926 and then graduated from Young Harris College in 1928. He married Antoinette Talmadge Tyus on June 3, 1931, and they had three sons: Robert Tyus Duncan, Richard Allen Duncan, and Ebb Duncan Jr. Duncan Sr. died on January 19, 1980, due to a heart condition. Duncan served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1949 until 1964. He returned to the General Assembly in 1973 as a state senator where he was known as one of the most powerful senators in the state. Duncan served as Majority Whip, secretary of the Appropriations Committee, vice chairman of the Banking and Finance Committee, a member of the Human Resources Committee, as well as several other assignments. Duncan was also a member of numerous community organizations and served on the board of directors for several local businesses. He died while in office. As a member of the Georgia Legislature, Duncan served under six governors. He was instrumental in bringing educational television to Georgia, making the University of West Georgia into a four-year institution, and supporting the creation of the university's modern campus. Duncan also worked to change Georgia State College into Georgia State University, and to purchase Jekyll Island for the state of Georgia. He helped Gov.

Zell Miller Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 79th governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999 and as a United States senator representing the state from 2000 to 2005. He was a member of the Dem ...

and Rep. Nathan Dean get their start in politics.

Political highlights

Duncan's activities in the Georgia Senate, including legislation on the World Congress Center, education, mental health, banks and banking, and the disabled. As a representative of mental health, Duncan fought for and obtained new bus and van transportation for mental health facilities. He also led the state congressional committee on the Georgia World Congress Center and its subsequent development into a world-class exhibition location.

Notes

External links

Ebb Duncan papers at the University of West GeorgiaJ. Ebb Duncan Death Notice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, J. Ebb 1909 births 1980 deaths Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Young Harris College alumni People from Douglasville, Georgia People from Carrollton, Georgia 20th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly