Georgia Rep. Richard Smith, chairman of House Rules Committee, has died
Rep. Richard Smith
ATLANTA - Georgia Rep. Richard Smith, chairman of the House Rules Committee, has died. He was 78 years old at the time of death.
Smith, who represented Columbus, was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives on Nov. 2, 2004, and was sworn in on Jan. 10, 2005. He was serving his 8th term at the time of his death. He represented portions of Muscogee and Harris counties.
Rep. Smith previously served as the chairman of the House Insurance Committee from 2011 to 2020. In 2020, he was appointed as the chairman of the House Rules Committee.
Speaker Jon Burns announced his death on Tuesday morning.
Burns said that Smith had come down with the flu in the past few days and passed peacefully during the night.
Burns described Smith as larger than life, incredibly kind, generous, wise, supportive and exceedingly loyal. Burns also said that he embodied what it meant to be a statesman.
Gov. Brian Kemp also released a statement saying Smith represented the Columbus area well and had an important imapct on the entire state during his time as chairman of the House Rules Committee.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr called Smith a devoted public servant in his statement.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens issued the following statement:
"I join my colleagues across the street at the Gold Dome—and across Georgia—in mourning the loss of Representative Richard Smith. The respect he held on both sides of the aisle is a rare currency in governing these days, and while we may not have seen eye to eye on every issue, his leadership and steady temperament will be missed. My thoughts are with his wife Clara and his entire family."