Senator Jack S. Hill: 30 Years of Life in Georgia Politics presented by Kim Liebl: Physical Exhibit

Former Georgia state senator Jack Sutton Hill was born in Tattnall County, Georgia, on July 15th, 1944, to Stanhope Wilton Hill and Lillian Sutton Hill. Wilton was the director of the Georgia School Bus Drivers Association and served as state senator from 1957 to 1958. In 1962, Hill graduated from Reidsville High School and in 1966, graduated from Georgia Southern College with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He became an independent grocer upon opening the Hill Shopping Center in Reidsville, Georgia. Hill joined the 165th Airlift Group of the Georgia Air National Guard at Savannah in 1971 and served as the Unit Commander, Support Group Commander, and State Inspector General and eventually rose to the rank of Colonel.

In 1972, Jack Hill married Ruth Ann Nail, who also graduated from Georgia Southern College with a degree in education, eventually becoming a Triple Eagle ('73, '90, '91). Ruth Ann Hill later retired as Principal from Reidsville Elementary School. She also worked at the Hill Shopping Center, showcasing the week's featured frozen food item. Together, they raised three children: Dawn, Amy, and Lance.

Before becoming senator, Jack Hill held several leadership roles in his community, including President of the Georgia Grocers Association, President of the Tattnall Chamber of Commerce, and Chairman of the Tattnall Development Authority. In 1989, he began his first campaign for political office, winning the 1990 election for State Senate District 4. He would represent this district for the next 30 years.

Senator Jack Hill passed away on April 6th, 2020. Ruth Ann Hill passed away 18 days later, on April 24th, 2020.

While in office, Senator Hill became close with Senator Sonny Perdue, as they shared office space and an apartment while the General Assembly was in session. Perdue switched to the Republican party in 1998, after having differing views on social issues from the National Democratic Party and would be the only conservative Democratic senator to switch at the time. In 2002, Sonny Perdue became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Reconstruction. Again Perdue asked Senator Hill and others to consider switching parties. At the time, Senator Hill held more conservative views, and District 4 had become a more right-leaning district.

In the end, Senators Jack Hill, Dan Lee, Don Cheeks, and Rooney Bowen switched to the Republican Party with Senator Hill being the last to switch. This changed the Georgia Senate from a majority Democratic chamber to a Republican one. After the 2004 election, both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly held a Republican majority, leading to Georgia becoming a "red state."

In 2015, Senator Hill reflected on the party switch, saying:

"I've been able to help the district by being in the Republican Party, and that was what my service was all about… I'm not all that political, but I'm all about trying to help my district, and that's the way I thought I could help the district the best."

From 2002 onward, Senator Hill served as a Republican, supporting the same legislation he did in 1991, instead within a party that more closely aligned with his philosophies. During this time, he continued to serve on numerous committees. In 2002, Hill became the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. As chairman, he helped change Georgia's budget process by distributing the state's funding based on concrete purposes and measurements, and his leadership helped steer the state through the 2008 recession. As a result, he was named Man of the Decade at the Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Awards in 2017.

Senator Hill continued to serve his constituents until the moment of his passing on April 6th, 2020.

In 1989, Jack S. Hill began his first campaign for political office as a Democratic candidate for State Senator of District 4, which at the time included part of Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Effingham, Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties. The platform of his initial campaign included improved healthcare, equal education for all, the protection of natural and historical resources, and the development of agriculture and small businesses for District 4.

In 1991, Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard described Senator Hill as a “legislator who is willing to take initiative…those of us who work with him feel he is one of the rising stars of the state.”

Senator Hill served as Chairman of numerous Senate committees, including the K-12 Education, Higher Education, and Ethics Committees, as well as Vice Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. Hill also served on the Natural Resources Committee and the Environment and Regulated Industries and Utilities Committees.

Additionally, Senator Hill led the development of the Vidalia Onion Research Center in Lyons, which opened in 1999. The center works with UGA researchers to solve plant issues for Vidalia onion growers and to study other vegetables grown in the area. Moreover, Hill introduced and successfully passed “early voting” legislation in 1999 that eventually became law as part of a package of election reforms.

From the foundation of his political career, Senator Hill researched the speeches he gave to the community and kept a majority of the letters written to him by Georgia voters, community groups, and businesses. Hill also wrote a weekly column called "Notes from the Senate" to keep Georgia's citizens informed on state government and legislative actions as they affected citizens' everyday lives.

At the time, Senator Jack S. Hill was the longest-serving state senator in Georgia's history, holding office for a total of 30 years. He is best known by many for being a well-respected politician who cared for his constituents and thus earned numerous awards and titles of recognition. Since his death, constituents and state agencies have gone to great lengths to honor his legacy. In 2020, the Department of Natural Resources renamed the Gordonia-Altamaha State Park in Reidsville, Georgia, to "Jack Hill State Park."

In 2021, Ogeechee Technical College renamed its campus natural resources building in Statesboro to the "Jack Hill Building." Additionally, in May 2022, Georgia Southern University broke ground on a new 95,000-square-foot center named the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center, set to open in Spring 2024.

Upon Senator Hill's death, his professional papers and political records from over 30 years were donated to his alma mater, Georgia Southern University. The Jack S. Hill Papers are now housed in the University's Special Collections and contain political documents, constituent correspondence, photographs, audio-visual materials, newspaper clippings, and artifacts. The number of documents in the collection reflects Senator Hill's interests in particular areas such as education, medical services, environmental projects, and transportation, all of which he advocated steadily for throughout his political career.

This exhibit, its material, and its context come from the Jack S. Hill Papers. As shown through these exhibit cases, Senator Hill cared deeply for his district and dedicated his time as Senator to helping the betterment of his constituents.