DALTON, Ga. — A nearly 30-year career in politics has ended for state Sen. Don Thomas, R-Dalton.
The Whitfield County physician and 14-year Senate veteran announced earlier this year he would not seek another term in the Georgia Legislature. The Legislature has ended its session, effectively bringing Sen. Thomas’ tenure to a halt.
His 54th District Senate seat will be handed over officially in January when a successor takes office.
Sen. Thomas is retiring to spend time with his wife, Emma Jean, who is battling lung cancer. Colleagues say his departure leaves a void in the Senate.
“Dr. Don was a very effective legislator,” said Sen. Jack Hill, R-Reidsville, a 16-year Senate veteran and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “He was tenacious and unrelenting but always in a kind way. You never doubted that his priority was the health and safety of Georgians.”
That tenacity showed through in Sen. Thomas’ two most noteworthy pieces of legislation. He authored the state’s public smoking ban, and he pushed through Georgia’s seat belt requirement for pickup trucks. It took four years to pass the smoking ban and three years to pass the seat belt law.
Both laws are close to Sen. Thomas’ heart. Though his wife’s cancer was not caused by smoking, as a family practitioner, he has seen the ill health effects of smoking and the injuries caused by not wearing seat belts.
And in the coming years, as the Peach State continues to struggle with a budget deficit, he hopes legislators will pass a cigarette tax, a measure he said will help the state’s bottom line and reduce future generations of smokers.
“We can prevent so many diseases just by eating better and being more active,” said Sen. Thomas, who still runs three to five miles a day.
This week, speaking from his Dalton farm home, 76-year-old Sen. Thomas said he is sad to leave his friends in Atlanta, but he is relieved to be able to return to full-time medicine.
About Don Thomas* Age: 76* Family: Married to Emma Jean, eight adult children, 19 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren* Education: Bachelor’s degree, Georgia Teachers College (Georgia Southern University); M.D. from Medical College of Georgia.* Career: Family doctor
“I feel relieved to have less responsibility in Atlanta, but I will miss my friends there,” Sen. Thomas said. “I was a number of legislators’ personal physician.”
Sen. Thomas has endorsed former Dalton City Councilman Charlie Bethel for his empty Senate seat. Mr. Bethel, a Republican, is in a contest with Fairmount resident and fellow Republican Steve Brannon. They will face voters July 20.
During Sen. Thomas’ final day in the Senate, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, R-Gainesville, praised the senator and was overcome with emotion. In a statement, he said Sen. Thomas’ example was stellar.
“Sen. Thomas has been a wonderful example to us all of leading with integrity and a servant’s heart,” Lt. Gov. Cagle said. “He will be greatly missed in the state Senate and remembered not only for his many legislative efforts, but also for conducting himself as a sincere gentleman.”
Only seven Senate members outrank him in seniority, Sen. Thomas said. Before taking up residence in the statehouse, Dr. Thomas served 12 years on the Whitfield County Board of Education, 10 as the board’s chairman.
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