Former Ga. Gov. Carl Sanders Dead At 89, Praised For Elevating State

Updated 3:36 p.m.

Gov. Nathan Deal and former President Jimmy Carter are praising former Ga. Gov. Carl Sanders for elevating the state’s reputation.

Sanders died, at the age of 89.

Deal said the former statesman left behind an amazing legacy.

"It's a multi–faceted legacy; one, a Governor that was willing to take on difficult social issues, such as civil rights issues," Deal explained. "A governor who was willing to take on education reform. And with only four years in office, he had to do a lot in a short period of time."

Carter says because of Sanders, others took notice of Georgia.

“He was one of those pioneer Governors that put Georgia on the map,” recalled Carter.

Sanders was born and raised in Augusta. He attended the University of Georgia on a football scholarship before enlisting in the Air Force during World War II.

After the war, he served in the state House and Senate, before he was elected Governor in 1962 at the age of 37.

In a 2007 interview with GPB, Sanders said he was in the right place at the right time to try new tactics.

"I knew at that time I was in a very fortunate position, because there were so many other Governors in the South that were doing things that were contrary to what I wanted to see done in Georgia," said Sanders. "And they were going down roads that appeared to me to be self-destructive. And I did not want to be part of that." Watch the video of the full interview here.

In office during the Civil Rights era, Sanders worked with presidents Kennedy and Johnson to implement new civil rights laws.

He also led efforts to reapportion Georgia’s legislative and congressional districts to better represent voters.

Sanders was limited to one term and left office in 1967. He tried to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1970, but lost to Jimmy Carter.

After politics, Sanders founded a law firm that became one of the largest in Atlanta.

A memorial service for Sanders will be held at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta on Saturday.

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