Representative Calvin Smyre, Dean of Georgia House, To Give Farewell Remarks This Morning

There will be a lot of institutional knowledge leaving the capitol this evening when the gavels bang Sine Die. None of them have served longer than Representative Calvin Smyre of Columbus. First elected in 1974, he’s served as a member of the majority and minority parties. He’s humble, but wields quiet power when needed and necessary – which is often. He’s someone that I’ve had the pleasure of working with in conjunction with several study committees. He always answers the call when a problem needs to be solved. In short, he’s a statesman, and is a living piece of Georgia history.

Representative Smyre’s remarks can be seen on the House livestream here. They are expected sometime between 10:45am and noon.

More about Representative Smyre follows from a House press release:

After 48 years of service, Rep. Smyre will retire from the Georgia House of Representatives. President Joe Biden has nominated Rep. Smyre to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, and Rep. Smyre will begin the confirmation process following his retirement from the House.

Rep. Smyre is the longest serving member of the Georgia General Assembly. He was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1974 as its youngest member at 27 years of age. As a legislative veteran and the Dean of the House, he serves on the most important committees of the House, including the House Appropriations and Rules committees.

Rep. Smyre has a distinguished legislative record, which includes authoring the legislation making Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday a state holiday and legislation creating the historic Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons. He was also the co-sponsor of the historic Georgia Hate Crimes Act and legislation creating a new Georgia State Flag.

Representative Calvin Smyre represents the citizens of District 135, which includes portions of Muscogee County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 and currently serves on the Special Committee on Access to Quality Health Care, Special Committee on Access to the Civil Justice System, and Special Committee on Election Integrity. He also serves as a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and the Transportation, Higher Education and Rules committees.