J. Thomas "Tom" Coleman, Jr. (September 8, 1928 – June 4, 2014) was an American politician and businessman.

Early life and education

Tom Coleman was born in Savannah, Georgia, on September 8, 1928. He was a graduate of

Benedictine Military School Benedictine Military School (also referred to as Benedictine or BC) is an American Roman Catholic military high school for boys located in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1902 by the Benedictine monks of Savannah Priory, whic ...

. Coleman received his bachelor's degree from

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

where he was captain of the football team. After graduation, Coleman stayed on at Georgia Tech as a physics teacher and football coach. Coleman enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving as an infantry captain during the Korean conflict and, in later years, the U.S. Army Reserve.

Business and political careers

Coleman was the owner of Bonitz of Georgia, a construction company which he started in 1954, and where he remained as board chairman until his death. Coleman began his political career as a Savannah City Council alderman during the Malcolm Maclean administration from 1962 to 1966. He was then elected Chairman of the Chatham County Commission, where he served from 1972 to 1976. During his term as Commission chairman, Coleman led the initiative to build the Chatham County Courthouse and jail. In 1980 Coleman was elected to the Georgia State Senate, and took office, representing District 1, in 1981. He was elected to seven consecutive terms, serving a total of 14 years, until he stepping down in 1995. In the Senate, Coleman was Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee for 12 years and member of Continuation Committee for ten years. In 1995, after leaving the Senate, Coleman was appointed by Governor Zell Miller to an at-large seat on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. In the post he served as Vice Chair and later Chair of the Facilities and Real Estate Committee. Coleman was appointed director of the

Georgia Department of Transportation The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developin ...

by Governor Roy Barnes, during a period of upheaval, and served from June 6, 2000, to August 31, 2003, extending into the Administration of Governor Sonny Perdue.J. Thomas Coleman, Jr.

Later years

Coleman, who suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

in his later years, died in his native Savannah on June 4, 2014, at the age of 85.

Legacy

The portion of I-95 in

Chatham County, Georgia Chatham County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Georgia, on the state's Atlantic coast. The county seat and largest city is Savannah. One of the original counties of Georgia, Chatham County was created February 5, 1777, and is named after Will ...

is named the Tom Coleman Highway. The Courthouse in Chatham County is also named in his honor as the J. Tom Coleman Courthouse - Judicial Center

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Tom 1928 births 2014 deaths Politicians from Savannah, Georgia Georgia Tech alumni Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) city council members Georgia (U.S. state) state senators United States Army soldiers Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American businesspeople