Paul Coverdell

Coverdell was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1939 and lived much of his childhood in the Midwest. and went on to graduate from the University of Missouri in 1961 with a degree in journalism. Coverdell joined the Army in 1962 and served as a captain in Okinawa, Taiwan, and Korea. After completing his service Coverdell settled in Atlanta with his wife, Nancy. Coverdell began a career in insurance, founding the firm Coverdell & Co. Inc. with his father and becoming president of the family business in 1965. ==Georgia State Senator (1970–1989)==

Coverdell was unsuccessful in his first attempt to win election to the state senate in 1968 but he ran again and won in 1970 After Coverdell's loss in 1977, he began working to develop a base for national Republican candidates and a viable statewide Republican Party organization. In 1985 Coverdell was elected Chairman of the Georgia GOP. In 1980, Coverdell was finance chairman in Georgia when Bush first ran for the Republican nomination for president. Coverdell's efforts paid off in 1988 when Bush carried Georgia's twelve electoral votes. When Bush was elected president, Coverdell sent a letter. "If I can help, I'd like to help," Coverdell wrote. Bush appointed Coverdell to head the Peace Corps. ==Peace Corps Director (1989–1991)==

Coverdell was sworn in as Director of the Peace Corps on May 2, 1989, in a ceremony in the Oval Office. Peace Corps enters Eastern Europe Coverdell sent the first Peace Corps volunteers to Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Coverdell's support for the Peace Corps After Coverdell was elected to the Senate he continued his support for the Peace Corps and supported legislation to expand it. Controversy over trips to Georgia Meanwhile, Coverdell had his eye on the Senate seat held by Wyche Fowler, the man who defeated him in the special election for Congress in 1977. There is some controversy over Coverdell's use of the office of Peace Corps Director and his subsequent run for the Senate. However, Charlton Heston, who came to Georgia to campaign on Coverdell's behalf in the Senate election, wrote for the National Review in 1992: "He served (as Peace Corps director) effectively, but it hardly seemed an ideal launching pad for national elective office."{{cite web ==1992 U.S. Senate election==

In 1992, Coverdell faced an uphill fight to win a U.S. Senate seat and had to campaign in four separate elections (all-candidate primary, primary runoff, all-party general, and general runoff). Facing four other candidates in the Republican primary, another runoff election was required. he became only the second Republican Georgia sent to the Senate since Reconstruction. ==United States Senator (1993–2000)==

Service in the Senate Coverdell served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Agriculture Committee, and Small Business Committee. Coverdell sponsored legislation used by millions of Americans to fund college educations for their children Coverdell also worked against tax increases, to protect federal lands in national parks, and for humanitarian concerns. In 1999 before an exploratory committee was formed, Coverdell took on the job of liaison between then Governor George W. Bush's campaign and the Senate. Former president George H. W. Bush, a close friend of Coverdell, did not attend, but a family friend read his tribute. Bush wrote: ==Legacy and honors==

Coverdell was often described as a quiet, soft-spoken man, but he left profound marks on the governments of both the state of Georgia and the nation in a relatively brief period of time through the Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, which are used by millions of Americans to fund college educations for their children, and the establishment of a strong Republican Party in Georgia. George W. Bush said: Coverdell's state Senate papers are held by Georgia State University, while his papers from the Peace Corps and United States Senate are housed at the Ina Dillard Russell Library of Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, which also has a public policy institute named in his honor. He was an esteemed Director of the agency and many programs were rebranded to bear his name in recognition of the work he provided to create them. Coverdell was also honored by the Georgia General Assembly in 2005 with a resolution to rename the Legislative Office Building the "Paul Coverdell Legislative Office Building." The move came under some criticism as, ironically, Paul Coverdell had opposed the funding for the building while he was serving in the Georgia Senate. Coverdell was survived by his wife Nancy, who later became a presidential elector in 2000 on the Bush-Cheney ticket. ==See also==