| DuBose Porter | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 143rd district |
|
| In office January 13, 2003 – January 10, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Jay Shaw |
| Succeeded by | Matt Hatchett |
| In office January 13, 1997 – January 8, 2001 |
|
| Succeeded by | Jay Shaw |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 119th district |
|
| In office January 8, 2001 – January 13, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | George DeLoach |
| Succeeded by | Sue Burmeister |
| In office January 11, 1982 – January 13, 1997 |
|
| Succeeded by | George DeLoach |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 2, 1953 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Porter |
| Residence | Dublin, Georgia |
| Alma mater | Davidson College, Cumberland School of Law |
| Occupation | attorney, newspaper editor |
| Religion | Methodist |
DuBose Porter is a Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the 143rd district since being elected in 1982. He is currently Minority Leader in the House. He was previously Administration Floor Leader for Governor Zell Miller from 1991 through 1992. Porter was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Georgia in 2010.
DuBose Porter, born in Dublin, Laurens County, Georgia, is the son of Dr. Lester and Katherine D. Porter. From a young age, Porter was active in his community. He earned his Eagle Scout Badge in 1970. He was a co-President of his Senior high school class at Dublin High School, where he graduated in 1971. He attended Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, where he received a B.A. in English in 1975.
After college, Porter interned in Washington, D. C., for Georgia Senator Sam Nunn where he decided to go to law school so that he could one day become a public servant and help others just as he saw Sen. Nunn was able to do. He attended and graduated from Cumberland Law School at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. After law school, Porter returned to his hometown and formed the law firm of Nelson & Porter. In 1982 he decided to run for the legislature. Although he was considered the underdog in the race, he was victorious, and has represented the district ever since.
DuBose is married to Carol Dodd of Wrightsville, Georgia and they have four sons, also Eagle Scouts, Stephen DuBose Porter, Jr., Guyton McCall Porter, and twins, Asa Shearouse Porter and Inman Lee Porter.
In 1987, Porter and Griffin Lovett purchased The Courier Herald, the daily newspaper in Dublin. Porter is Chairman of the Board of the publishing company and runs the business side of the company daily. In 1998, Porter and Lovett purchased The Soperton News, The Montgomery Monitor, and The Wheeler County Eagle. In 2002, they purchased The Johnson Journal, The Twiggs Times New Era and The Cochran Journal. In 2004, they purchased The Wilkinson County Post and in 2006 they purchased The Baldwin Bulletin. Porter is the business manager of these nine publications. Since 1987, Porter also has been a stockholder and member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Dudley.
In 1991 and 1992, he served as Administration Floor Leader in the House of Representatives to Governor Zell Miller. In January 2003, Porter was elected Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives. Porter is currently in his fourteenth term and serves on the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Appropriations, Ethics, and Rules Committees. In January 2005, he was elected Leader of the Democratic Caucus of the House of Representatives.
Porter is a former Trustee for the Nature Conservancy of Georgia, former member of Board of Trustees and The Board of Advisors of The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. He is the former President of the Georgia Press Association and of the Georgia Library Trustees Association and served as a member of Governor Miller’s Preservation 2000 Committee. He has served as Chairman of Education as well as Chairman of Higher Education.
He was a member of the 1985 class of Leadership Georgia. He is a member of the Dublin Rotary Club. He is also a member of the University of Georgia Secret Society, Gridiron.
On April 6, 2009, Porter announced his candidacy for governor of Georgia in 2010.[1] He lost the Democratic primary on July 20, 2010 to former Gov. Roy Barnes. On the same day, however, his wife, Carol Porter, won the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.[2]