Pierre Howard

Pierre DuVinage Howard, Jr. (born February 3, 1943) is an American attorney and politician. He served as ninth Lieutenant Governor of the US state of Georgia.

Background

Howard was born into a political family, the son of Pierre DuVinage Howard, Sr. (1912-1976) and Caroline Ridley Howard (1913-2013). His great-grandfather, Thomas Coke Howard, was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. His grandfather, William S. Howard served in the Georgia House, as well as the U.S. House of Representatives. Howard attended the University of Georgia, where he was captain of the tennis team and president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and went on to receive a law degree from the University of Georgia. In 1974, Howard married Nancy Barnes. They have two children, Christopher and Caroline. Howard's pronunciation of his first name is identical to the word "pier".

State Senate

Howard entered politics in 1972. He was elected to the Georgia State Senate, representing DeKalb County's 42nd district. He was subsequently re-elected eight times, serving a total of 18 years, until 1990.^[1] During his tenure in the Senate, Howard served eight years as assistant floor leader for Governor George Busbee and 16 years as chairman of the Senate Human Resources Committee.

Lieutenant governor

In 1990, Howard ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor. In that race he defeated the Republican nominee Matt Towery. Later, in March 2000 the two former political rivals formed InsiderAdvantage.com.^[2] Howard was elected to a four-year term and was re-elected in 1994. Howard focused on critical issues concerning Georgia families throughout his political career (i.e. graduated licenses and zero tolerance for drinking and driving for teens).

Campaign for governor

In 1997, Howard announced his intention to run for governor. He was considered by many to be the front-runner for the Democratic nomination. The metro Atlanta attorney targeted rural voters, with a campaign that reimaged the candidate with humor, stressing his "Southernness" with the slogan "Pierre is French for Bubba".^[3] However, prior to the primary election, after having raised over $1 million in campaign contributions, Howard abruptly exited the race, citing family concerns. Campaign funds were returned to contributors.^[4]

Honor

The Interstate 285 and Interstate 20 interchange in DeKalb County, Georgia is named in his honor.

References