Richard Smith, the chairman of the Georgian House, passed away from the flu at the age of 78.

Updated [hour]:[minute] [AM/PM] [time zone], [full month] [day], [year] One of the most influential members of the GeorgiaHouse of Representatives has passed away. State Representative Richard Smith, a Republican from Columbus who chaired the House Rules Committee, died at his home from complications related to the flu before dawn on Tuesday, the House Speaker's office reported. Smith was 78 years old and was elected to the House in 2004, serving his 10th term in the General Assembly, representing the 139th district, which included parts of Muscogee and Harris counties. Since 2020, he had been the chairman of the House Rules Committee. This important leadership position controls which legislation is considered by the entire House.

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"With Richard Smith, you should never have doubted his position, right?"

- said Republican House Speaker John Burns from Newington, who joined the House with Smith in 2005.

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There were moments when he stood by me when others didn't, but it didn't bother him.

- said Kemp. "He was just doing what he thought was right." Smith, often rough yet gentle, worked for decades in the University Cooperative Extension Service of Georgia, serving in Statesboro, Cedartown, and Columbus, where he eventually settled. Before joining the Chamber, he was the interim city manager of the Columbus consolidated government in 1989 and 1990 and served on the Columbus city council from 1999 to 2022.

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Kemp will have to hold special elections to replace Smith.

Smith is survived by his wife Clara, his children Shannon, Ashley, and Justin, and his grandchildren.