George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III was the 81st Governor of Georgia. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Benjamin F. Conley served during Reconstruction in the 1870s. Perdue was born in Perry, Georgia. He currently lives in Bonaire, an unincorporated area between Perry and Warner Robins. His father was a farmer and his mother was a teacher. Perdue has been known as Sonny since childhood and prefers to be called by that name . Perdue played quarterback at Warner Robins High School and was a walk-on at the University of Georgia, where he... was also a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity . Perdue served in the Air Force, rising to the rank of Captain before his discharge. In 1971 he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and worked as a veterinarian before becoming a small business owner, eventually starting three small businesses. Perdue and his wife, Mary, were married in 1972.
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