The Coronavirus has infected millions of people worldwide, coming from various walks of life. Some of them have been current or holders of public offices.
George H. Carley was a long-time public official from the state of Georgia. Most famously as a member of the state's Supreme Court. Carley's name can now be added among the deaths caused by COVID-19.
Passed away on November 26
George H. Carley died on November 26, 2020, from COVID-19. As noted by 11Alive, it was Thanksgiving. Carley had been admitted to Emory Decatur Hospital with Covid-19.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp was among those expressing their condolences at his death, notes The Charlotte Observer.
So were current Georgia Supreme Court Justices Charlie Bethel and Carla Wong McMillian.
In 1979, Governor George Busbee appointed Carley to the Georgia Court of Appeals. Carley would go on to be elected to the court on three occasions. From 1989 to 1990, the was the court's chief judge and its presiding judge from 1991 to 1993. He had previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives.
In 1993, George H. Carley became a justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. He was appointed by Governor Zell Miller, who later became a U.S. senator. Carley would later be elected to the court three times. In 2009, he was elected to be its presiding justice. During the last several weeks of his career, he was the Supreme Court's chief justice.
Carley's career was a historic one in Georgia, becoming the first judge to hold presiding and chief roles of both the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.
During Carley's judicial career, he garnered a reputation for often deferring to the state legislature. In criminal cases, he frequently sided with the defendant. Conversely, he frequently sided with plaintiffs in civil cases.
Carley was originally a native of Jackson, Mississippi
George Holmes Carley was born in Jackson, Mississippi. His father, also named George, served in the United States Public Health Service. The elder Carley's work led him and his family to other countries. When he began the high school level, the younger Carley was attending the Woodstock School in India.
The Carley family eventually settled in Decatur in north-central Georgia.
After graduating from Decatur High School, George H. Carley served in the United States Army. He would also graduate from the University of Georgia and the University of Georgia Law School. Afterward, he went into private practice and also briefly worked with the United States government.
In 1960, Carley married Sandra M. Lineberger. They would have a son.
