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Establishing a law practice in Albany in southeastern Georgia, Busbee served nine two-year terms as a state representative and served as the Majority Leader for Governor Carl  

Establishing a law practice in Albany in southeastern Georgia, Busbee served nine two-year terms as a state representative and served as the Majority Leader for Governor Carl  

Edward Sanders, Sr. (1925-2014). In 1967, Busbee was one of thirty in the legislature who voted for the Republican [[U.S. Representative]] Howard Hollis "Bo: Callaway, Sr. (1927-2014) in the disputed 1966 gubernatorial race, rather than the Democratic nominee Lester Maddox of Atlanta, then a [[Segregation|segregationist]]. Acting under the 1824 Georgia Constitution, the legislators chose Maddox, 182 to 66, a choice affirmed in 1927 by the [[United States Supreme Court]].<ref>Billy Hathorn, "The Frustration of Opportunity: Georgia Republicans and the Election of 1966", ''[[Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South]]'', XXX (Winter 1987-1988), p. 47</ref>

Edward Sanders, Sr. (1925-2014). In 1967, Busbee was one of thirty in the legislature who voted for the Republican [[U.S. Representative]] Howard Hollis "Bo: Callaway, Sr. (1927-2014) in the disputed 1966 gubernatorial race, rather than the Democratic nominee Lester Maddox of Atlanta, then a [[Segregation|segregationist]]. Acting under the 1824 Georgia Constitution, the legislators chose Maddox, 182 to 66, a choice affirmed in 1927 by the [[United States Supreme Court]].<ref>Billy Hathorn, "The Frustration of Opportunity: Georgia Republicans and the Election of 1966", ''Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South,'', XXX (Winter 1987-1988), p. 47; publication defunct.</ref>

In 1974, Busbee won the Democratic nomination in Carter's final year in that office. In the party runoff, he defeated, 551,106 votes (59.9 percent) to 369,608 (40.1 percent), former governor and sitting Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox, the man whom Busbee had voted against in the legislative election for governor some seven years earlier. In the fall of 1974, Busbee handily defeated Ronnie Thompson, the first Republican to have served as [[mayor]] of Macon. In 1976, voters approved a wholesale revision of the Georgia Constitution, which included a provision that allowed Busbee to become the state's first governor to serve two consecutive four-year terms. He won election to his second term in 1978 with an easy victory over [[Moderate Republican]] Rodney Mims Cook, Sr. (1924-2013) of Atlanta.<ref>[http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/GovernmentPolitics/Politics/PoliticalFigures&id=h-595 ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'' profile of George Busbee]</ref>

In 1974, Busbee won the Democratic nomination in Carter's final year in that office. In the party runoff, he defeated, 551,106 votes (59.9 percent) to 369,608 (40.1 percent), former governor and sitting Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox, the man whom Busbee had voted against in the legislative election for governor some seven years earlier. In the fall of 1974, Busbee handily defeated Ronnie Thompson, the first Republican to have served as [[mayor]] of Macon. In 1976, voters approved a wholesale revision of the Georgia Constitution, which included a provision that allowed Busbee to become the state's first governor to serve two consecutive four-year terms. He won election to his second term in 1978 with an easy victory over [[Moderate Republican]] Rodney Mims Cook, Sr. (1924-2013) of Atlanta.<ref>[http://www.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/GovernmentPolitics/Politics/PoliticalFigures&id=h-595 ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'' profile of George Busbee]</ref>