NW Georgia lawmaker succumbs to cancer
♦ Rep. John Meadows of Calhoun is remembered for protecting the region as he chaired the powerful Rules Committee.
The announcement that the powerful chairman of the state House Rules Committee had died stunned and saddened members of the Georgia General Assembly on Tuesday — the first day of a special session convened to address hurricane relief.
Rep. John Meadows, R-Calhoun, had lost his battle with cancer overnight, according to Calhoun Mayor Jimmy Palmer, a family friend. “His wit, wisdom and keen insights will be missed by this body and all who knew him,” said Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-Armuchee.
Any piece of legislation in the House had to pass through Meadows to be acted on, Lumsden said, so his advice was important on many levels. “I had come to admire and respect John Meadows over my past six years in the legislature. He was a mentor to me and to many younger members of the House of Representatives.”
State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, worked with Meadows on the state’s first fracking regulation bill, which was signed into law this year. It protects mainly Northwest Georgia, which has underground deposits of natural gas.
Hufstetler said Meadows, who sponsored the bill in the House, was “very determined” to protect local water sources.
The two had known each other since 1994, when Meadows was a frequent customer at Paul’s Oyster Bar, the restaurant Hufstetler had owned in Coosa.
“We became good friends before politics,” Hufstetler said, adding that, “It was a great honor to work with him. He was very kind when I visited the House Rules Committee to present my bills and he always reminded the House members that I was his senator and to treat me accordingly.”
State Rep. Katie Dempsey also spoke fondly of Meadows.
“John was a dear friend that always helped me,” she said. “It was a sweet but sad way to start this special session of the House.”
Speaker of the House David Ralston released a statement announcing Meadows’ death on Tuesday morning.
“My dear friend John was a great man – brave Marine, loving father and adoring grandfather,” Ralston said. “He loved his family with total devotion. His public service, both as a Marine and a state representative, was grounded in trying to ensure his children and grandchildren saw a better tomorrow.”
“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.”
Before being elected to the Georgia House in 2004, Meadows served as the mayor of Calhoun for 13 years and as a member of the Calhoun City Council for three years. He attended West Georgia College (now the University of West Georgia), served the United States in the Marine Corps, and spent his professional career in the insurance industry, according to a news release from the Georgia House.
Meadows died two months after turning 74 and one week after being re-elected for another term as representative. He is survived by his wife, Marie Meadows, his children B.J. and Missy, and his grandsons Will, Patrick and Max.
Gov. Nathan Deal commented on Twitter about Meadow’s death on Tuesday morning
“I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Rules Committee Chairman John Meadows following his battle against cancer,” Deal said. “He was a dear friend to many of us and he will be missed. With heavy hearts, the (Georgia First Lady) and I offer our deepest condolences to Marie and their family.”