David Poythress.
Lt. Gen. David Poythress, the state's adjutant general who once served as secretary of state and labor commissioner, will retire in November.
Gov. Sonny Perdue made the announcement Tuesday, naming Maj. Gen. William T. Nesbitt, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard, as his replacement.
He was appointed secretary of state in 1979 by then-Gov. George Busbee but lost a bid to retain the post in 1982 to Max Cleland. A decade later, he won a statewide election to become labor commissioner. In 1998, he launched a bid for governor, only to finish a distant third that year in the Democratic primary. Roy Barnes, who won the primary, went on to win the general election. The next year, Barnes appointed him adjutant general to lead the state Department of Defense and National Guard.
The 44-year military veteran is leaving to become chief executive officer of American United Bancorp Inc. in Gwinnett County.
Actually, Georgia Democrats are hoping Poythress is their candidate for Senate against sleazebag Saxby Chambliss -- they guy who smeared war hero Max Cleland by comparing him to Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, even though Cleland gave half his body in service to his country.