Bill Shipp's Georgia

The Georgia Politics Podcast

Jim Galloway joins the show to help us pay tribute to a man who became an institution in Georgia politics for over 50 years.

Bill Shipp made a name for himself in Georgia in 1953 when, as editor of UGA’s student newspaper, he wrote a column calling for the school of law to admit a black student, Horace Ward. It angered the powers that be to such an extent, that the state legislature drafted a bill to have him expelled from school. Instead, he left UGA and joined the Army and was stationed in West Germany.

When he returned to the States, he started work at what was then the Atlanta Constitution, where he worked for over 30 years covering politics, the civil rights movement, and breaking news from around the world.

He befriended and made enemies of Georgia’s political elite. He was considered both a confidant and a persona non grata by governors and legislators for decades. He was the first to break the news to the country that Jimmy Carter was running for President.

Later in life, he was one of the first newsmen to make the jump to the internet, publishing Bill Shipp’s Georgia, a newsletter and online hub for the latest political happenings in the state.

For his 80th birthday party, a crowd of former Georgia governors, U.S. Senator Max Cleland and others joined to both celebrate the man and roast him at the same time.

Bill Shipp died on July 9th at the age of 89 and we at The Georgia Politics Podcast pay tribute and honor to him with today’s special episode.

Connect with The Georgia Politics Podcast on Twitter @gapoliticspod

Megan Gordon on Twitter @meganlaneg

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Hans Appen on Twitter @hansappen

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