Ga. House Rules Chairman John Meadows dies

ATLANTA - State Rep. John Meadows, the chairman of Georgia's House Rules Committee, has died after a battle with cancer.

In a press release, Speaker of the House David Ralston called Meadows "a great man – brave Marine, loving father, and adoring grandfather.”

"There aren’t words to describe the magnitude of this loss for our House of Representatives or the State of Georgia, and my heart is simply broken under the weight of this sad news," Ralston said.

A Calhoun native, Meadows attended West Georgia College before serving in the Marine Corps and working in the insurance industry.

He was then elected to the Calhoun City Council for three years and served as the mayor of the city for 13 years.

Meadows was then elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in November of 2004. He went on to chair the Rules Committee while also serving on the Governmental Affairs, Industry and Labor, Insurance, Retirement, and Game, Fish, & Parks committees.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal tweeted out that Meadows "was a dear friend to many of us and he will be missed."

Meadows is survived by his wife Marie, children B.J, and Missy, and grandsons Will, Patrick, and Max.