Friends, family and colleagues of the late U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson gathered Thursday to honor the longtime Republican lawmaker for being a voice of civility and truth at a time when politics has descended into polarization and misinformation.
Hundreds of mourners, Republicans and Democrats alike, packed the pews of Buckhead’s Peachtree Road United Methodist Church to celebrate Isakson’s ability to cross the aisle to cut deals, crack a one-liner — and host his annual Capitol Hill barbecue.
Isakson’s close friend Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remembered the former Realtor as a savvy legislator and a gentleman who “treated everybody with respect and unfailing kindness.”
Ben Gray
Ben Gray
“But Johnny’s achievements didn’t come despite his quiet virtues, they came because of those virtues,” the Kentucky Republican said.
Isakson — the only person in state history to serve in both chambers of the Georgia Legislature, the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate — died Dec. 19 just shy of his 77th birthday. His family did not disclose the cause of death, but Isakson had battled Parkinson’s disease for the better part of a decade.
Ben Gray
Ben Gray
Former Georgia U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss wiped away tears as he described his college escapades with Isakson at the University of Georgia in the early 1960s. He invoked Mark Twain to summarize his friend’s political philosophy: to do the right thing when confronted with a difficult decision.
Isakson’s three adult children described him as a devoted family man who attended soccer games, doted on his grandchildren and never failed to tell them how proud he was.
“Dad was a lot of things to a lot of people, but he was my dad and he was the best,” his daughter Julie Mitchell said.
The memorial service drew some two-dozen U.S. senators and many of the state’s top current and former elected officials. Among those who attended were Gov. Brian Kemp, former Govs. Roy Barnes and Nathan Deal, House Speaker David Ralston and Isakson’s successor, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Ben Gray
Ben Gray
A day earlier, Warnock had introduced a resolution honoring his predecessor’s life and legacy. It was co-sponsored by the 99 other members of the chamber.
“He brings us together in death in the same way he did in life,” the Atlanta Democrat said in a speech on the Senate floor. “He’s a model of public service, an example to future generations of leaders on how to stand on principle and make progress while also governing with compassion and a heart for compromise.”
Isakson was a uniquely popular figure within Georgia politics.
He helped grow the state GOP from a tiny minority party mostly concentrated in Cobb County to become a dominant force. But he was better known for his willingness to reach across the aisle and find common ground with Democrats on thorny issues such as immigration and education.
State leaders saw him as the go-to keeper of Georgia’s parochial priorities in Washington, such as securing money for the deepening of Savannah’s port and keeping Delta Air Lines’ pension system afloat. He also advanced personal priorities, including legislation compensating the U.S. hostages held in Iran at the end of the Carter administration and revamping U.S. Peace Corps policies that failed to prevent the murder of a Cumming native in Benin.
Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Parkinson’s forced Isakson into retirement in December 2019 after he served more than 40 years in elected office. Not long after, he launched the Isakson Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to raise money for research into neurocognitive diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The memorial service was held on the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
A longtime aide said the date of the service had more to do with family availability than political commentary. But some observers viewed it as symbolic that Georgia was laying to rest a lawmaker who represented bipartisan goodwill at a time when political discourse too often feels broken.
“Johnny Isaksons just don’t come along every day,” the Rev. Brill Britt, the church’s senior minister, said as he kicked off the afternoon’s events.
In lieu of flowers, the Isakson family is requesting that well-wishers donate to the Isakson Initiative.
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