Robert A. Holmes (born July 13, 1943) is an American attorney, academic, and politician who served as a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

from 1975 to 2009.

Education

Holmes earned Bachelor of Science degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Shepherd University Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the university enrolled 3,159 students in Fall 2020. History Shepherd University began when the county seat of Jefferson ...

in 1964,

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in public law and government from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

, and a Ph.D. in political science at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

Holmes served as a member of the

from 1974 to 2008. In 2006, Holmes was re-elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to his seventeenth term, representing the 53rd district. He was a member of the Appropriations and Rules Committees and served as chairman of the Education Committee. Holmes served as chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus in 1990 and 1991. He successfully sponsored or co-sponsored more than 200 laws that have been passed in the Georgia General Assembly. Until his retirement in 2005, Holmes was director of the Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy and Distinguished Professor of Political Science at

Clark Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Found ...

Distinctions

Holmes serves on the board of directors of the Capital City Bank and Trust, the JOMANDI Theater Company, the Sickle Cell Foundation, the

Road Runners Club of America Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) is the oldest and largest distance running organization in the United States with over 1,500 running club and event members representing 200,000 individual runners active in their running c ...

and the Metro-Atlanta YMCA. Part of Interstate 285 was named in his honor, from

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, n ...

in South

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

Interstate 20 Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with Interstate 10, I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with Interstate 95, I-95 in Flo ...

. In 2001 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by

External links

Legislative Website

Metro Atlanta YMCA Official Site

References

Living people Politicians from Atlanta Columbia University alumni Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Shepherd University alumni 21st-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Georgia (U.S. state) Columbia Law School alumni 21st-century African-American politicians 1943 births {{GeorgiaUS-politician-stub

Education

Career

Distinctions

External links

Further reading

References