Zell Miller, a former two-term governor and U.S. senator who
gave birth to Georgia’s HOPE scholarship, has died at the age of 86.
Miller was a keynote speaker at a Democratic National
Convention — and a Republican National Convention. A veteran politician who
really wanted to be a minor-league shortstop. A man unswervingly loyal to his
mountain roots who came to be seen as a traitor by many in his political
family. A statesman who never strayed from his basic principles, yet seemed
utterly unpredictable.
Miller helped resuscitate Bill Clinton’s failing 1992
Democratic presidential campaign and ended up becoming one of the Republican
Party’s most vocal supporters. In his 80s, he suffered from several illnesses,
including Parkinson’s disease and late last year his family sent word that he
would no longer be making any public appearances.
“I learned more from Zell Miller both professionally and
personally than from anyone else I have encountered,” his grandson, Bryan
Miller said Friday. “He was more than my grandfather. He was my dear friend and
mentor.”
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