III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 484 

Honoring the life and legacy of late Senator John ‘‘Johnny’’ Hardy Isakson. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 5, 2022 

Mr. WARNOCK (for himself, Mr. OSSOFF, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. MCCONNELL, 

Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. BENNET, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BRAUN, 

Mr. BROWN, Mr. BURR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. 

CARPER, Mr. CASEY, Mr. CASSIDY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. COTTON, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. 

CRUZ, Mr. DAINES, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. ERNST, Mrs. 

FEINSTEIN, Mrs. FISCHER, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. HAGERTY, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. HAWLEY, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. 

HICKENLOOPER, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. 

INHOFE, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KELLY, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 

KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. LEE, Mr. 

LUJA ́N, Ms. LUMMIS, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. MORAN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. MURPHY, 

Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. PAUL, Mr. PETERS, Mr. PORTMAN, 

Mr. REED, Mr. RISCH, Mr. ROMNEY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. 

RUBIO, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SASSE, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, 

Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SHELBY, Ms. 

SINEMA, Ms. SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. TESTER, Mr. 

THUNE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. TUBERVILLE, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 

Mr. WARNER, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. WICKER, Mr. 

WYDEN, and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; which was 

considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and legacy of late Senator John ‘‘Johnny’’ 

Hardy Isakson. 


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•SRES 484 ATS 

Whereas John ‘‘Johnny’’ Hardy Isakson (referred to in this 

preamble as ‘‘Johnny Isakson’’) was born on December 

28, 1944, to Edwin Andrew Isakson and Julia (Baker) 

Isakson in Atlanta, Georgia; 

Whereas Johnny Isakson served in the Georgia Air National 

Guard between 1966 and 1972, leaving service as a staff 

sergeant; 

Whereas, in 1966, Johnny Isakson earned a bachelor’s degree 

in business administration from the University of Georgia 

before starting a successful career in real estate; 

Whereas, in 1979, Johnny Isakson became president of 

Northside Realty, a post he held for 22 years, during 

which Northside Realty became the biggest independent 

real estate company in the Southeast and one of the largest real estate companies in the United States; 

Whereas, in 1976, Johnny Isakson was elected to the Georgia 

House of Representatives, where he served until 1990 

and served as Republican Minority Leader between 1983 

and 1990; 

Whereas, in 1993, Johnny Isakson was elected to the Georgia 

Senate, where he served until 1996; 

Whereas, in 1997, Johnny Isakson was appointed chairman 

of the Georgia Board of Education; 

Whereas, in 1999, Johnny Isakson was elected to the House 

of Representatives, where he served on the Committee on 

Education and Labor of the House of Representatives 

and worked on legislation, including the No Child Left 

Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107–110; 115 Stat. 

1425); 

Whereas, in 2004, Johnny Isakson was elected to the Senate 

for the first time, becoming the only Georgian to have 


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•SRES 484 ATS 

ever been elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, the Georgia Senate, and both Houses of Congress; 

Whereas Johnny Isakson served the people of Georgia honorably in the Senate for 15 years, including service on the 

Committee on Finance of the Senate, the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, 

and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 

and service as the Chair of the Committee on Veterans’ 

Affairs of the Senate and the Select Committee on Ethics 

of the Senate; 

Whereas, during his tenure as a Senator, Johnny Isakson developed a reputation as a bipartisan leader who sought 

common ground and successfully advanced pension legislation to save jobs in Georgia, legislation to invest in the 

Port of Savannah, legislation to allocate disaster relief 

funding in Georgia, and bipartisan legislation to overhaul 

the health care system for veterans of the United States; 

Whereas, prior to his resignation from the Senate in 2019 

due to health reasons, Johnny Isakson strongly advocated 

for bipartisan compromise and cooperation in the Senate, 

hosting the annual bipartisan barbecue lunch for colleagues on both sides of the aisle and once stating, ‘‘I’m 

big on bipartisanship. Whether you’re Black or white, Republican or Democrat, whatever it might be, find a way 

to find common ground. Give it a chance to 

work. . .Bipartisanship is a state of being.’’; 

Whereas after stepping down from the Senate, Johnny Isakson launched the Isakson Initiative to raise money for research into Parkinson’s disease and other neurocognitive 

diseases; 


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Whereas Johnny Isakson was beloved and respected by his 

colleagues and once described the only division he saw as 

between ‘‘friends and future friends’’; 

Whereas, on December 19, 2021, at the age of 76, Johnny 

Isakson died, leaving behind his wife Dianne Davison, his 

3 loving children (John, Julie, and Kevin), 9 grandchildren, and a legacy of steadfast love for and service to 

the people of Georgia: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the life and legacy of the late Sen3 ator John ‘‘Johnny’’ Hardy Isakson (referred to in 

4 this resolution as ‘‘Johnny Isakson’’) for his— 

5 (A) accomplishments as a patriot and an 

6 example for future generations of leaders; 

7 (B) unwavering dedication to Georgia as a 

8 Senator, a member of the House of Representa9 tives, and a public servant; and 

10 (C) steadfast commitment to legislating 

11 with principle, compassion, and a heart for 

12 compromise and cooperation; 

13 (2) proclaims that Johnny Isakson represented 

14 the best of Georgia and honorably embodied friend15 ship and decency during his more than 40 years of 

16 public service to Georgia and to the United States; 

17 (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 

18 the Senate— 


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1 (A) communicate this resolution to the 

2 House of Representatives; and 

3 (B) transmit an enrolled copy of this reso4 lution to the family of Johnny Isakson; and 

5 (4) when the Senate adjourns today, it stand 

6 adjourned as a further mark of respect to the mem7 ory of Johnny Isakson. 

Æ 


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