Benjamin B. Blackburn obit

Benjamin Blackburn Obituary

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Benjamin Bentley Blackburn III, known for his quick wit, boundless adoration for his beloved wife, Mary Pandora Blackburn, his passion for history, and his dedicated service to the United States, passed away on the 3rd of December 2024. He was 97 years old.

He is survived by his children, Michael Blackburn (Jeneen), Robert Blackburn, Kathryn Blackburn Boyce (Ronald W. Boyce), David Blackburn (Beth); sisters, Jane Disbrow (Marcus Disbrow), Nancy Bracewell (James Bracewell); fourteen grandchildren; seventeen great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

Born in Atlanta, Blackburn completed his primary and secondary education in the city. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1947 and in 1954 from the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta. Blackburn served in the United States Navy during World War II (1944-1946) and again during the Korean War (1950-1952), retiring as a lieutenant commander in the United States Naval Reserve. He served in the State Attorney General's office from 1955 to 1957 and later began his private legal practice in Atlanta after being admitted to the bar in 1954.

In 1966, Blackburn was elected as a Republican to the Ninetieth Congress. He was reelected to Congress in the three succeeding terms. While in Congress, Blackburn was active on several committees, including Banking and Currency, the Housing Subcommittee, the Joint Economic Committee, the Subcommittee on International Trade of the Bank and Currency Committee, and the Housing and Domestic Finance Committee. Blackburn was the founder and served as president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation from 1976 until 1985. In 1982, he ran for governor of Georgia but was defeated in the Republican primary. He was fundamental in the establishment of the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. and served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1974 until 1982. Additionally, he played an instrumental role in the creation of the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and was honored with the dedication of Blackburn Park in 1972 for his efforts in securing the funds to purchase the land.

A devoted family man, avid reader, and great public speaker with undeniable charisma, Blackburn will be forever remembered and deeply cherished by his family, friends, and all who were fortunate to know and love him.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Shepherd Center at shepherd.org or Shepherd Center Foundation; Attn. Dean Melcher; 2020 Peachtree Road NW; Atlanta, GA 30309.

A memorial service will be 11:30 a.m., Thursday, January 9, 2025 at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Family in Jasper with Reverend Byron Tindal officiating. Interment will be 3:00 p.m., January 9, 2025 at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia

Arrangements are entrusted to the Staff of Roper Funeral Home and Crematory.

A member of the Republican Party, he served as member of the United States House of Representatives for four terms representing Georgia's 4th congressional district from 1967 to 1975. After he left the U.S. House of Representatives, his nomination to the Federal Home Loan Bank Board was rejected by the U.S. Senate. In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, he was the president of Southeastern Legal Foundation.

Born in Atlanta on February 14, 1927 to Benjamin Bentley Blackburn Jr. and Sarah (Medlock) Blackburn, he attended public school there and graduated in 1947 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and in 1954 from the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta. During World War II, Blackburn served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and again during the Korean War from 1950 to 1952. He was retired as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy Reserve. He served in the State attorney general's office from 1955 to 1957. He was admitted to the bar in 1954 and commenced private practice in Atlanta after service with the attorney general.

In 1966, Blackburn was elected to the 90th United States Congress, having narrowly defeated freshman incumbent James MacKay by 360 votes: 55,249 (50.2 percent) to 54,889 (49.8 percent). In that same election fellow Republican Bo Callaway challenged the Democrat Lester Maddox, a strong segregationist from Atlanta, in the 1966 gubernatorial race. Though Callaway led Maddox by some three thousand votes, he did not have the required majority; under the Georgia Constitution, the state legislature broke the impasse by electing Maddox. Blackburn supported Callaway, who as a congressman had sought to curb the high costs of federal social programs. Years later, Blackburn described Maddox as a "far better governor than his critics will ever admit." Then out of office himself, Blackburn noted that no claim of corruption arose against Maddox, whose administration was characterized by economic development and the appointment of African Americans to state executive positions. Blackburn was reelected to Congress in the three succeeding terms but was unsuccessful in a campaign for reelection in 1974