Conservative Democrat — Former Governor and US Senator, Dead at 86
Zell Miller was among the last of a dying breed — a Conservative Democrat. The following stories includes a statement by the Family Research Council, which worked closely with Miller while he served in the US Senate, followed by a detailed timeline of Miller’s life and career from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Statement by the Family Research Council:
“Former Georgia Governor Zell Miller passed away earlier today. The Democrat and former U.S. Senator was 86 years old.
“Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins released the following statement in FRC’s daily Washington Update newsletter reacting to the senator’s passing:
“‘The ranks of socially conservative Democrats are shrinking – and no one was probably more grieved by that than former Georgia senator and Governor Zell Miller. A passionate, God-fearing and God-loving pro-lifer, Zell was often the lone voice of reason in a party that was starting to lose its way. This morning, the man who earned the love and respect from people on both sides of the aisle passed away of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 86. A southerner to the end, he was deeply admired for his strong pro-life, pro-marriage stances in the Democratic Party.
“‘FRC’s relationship with Zell goes back to the early 2000s, when marriage started coming under intense attack. As a senator, he even joined us for our Justice Sunday II simulcast in Nashville. He gave us five minutes of exhortation, focused on the fact that our founders gave us a nation under God and that we stand at a crossroads in history. He noted that liberal judges seem ‘ready to discard like an old hula hoop the institution of marriage.’ He asked the audience to prepare for the challenge of being involved in restoring the power of the elected branches to represent the will of the people, and he added, ‘When they make it harder to pray, we will just pray harder.’
“‘We offer our deepest condolences — and our deepest gratitude – to the Miller family. America could use more leaders like Zell, who are willing to stand for what’s right, no matter what party they belong to,” Perkins concluded.
