In the United States Senate，Rebecca Ann Latimer Felton（Bartow Co．，Democrat），a prominent women’s rights advocate，was appointed to the United States Senate and served in 1922．She was the first woman from any state in the Union to serve in the U．S．Senate．However，she was not elected to succeed her husband．She was appointed by Governor Thomas W．Hardwick to fill the vacancy（空白，空缺）caused by the death of Thomas E．Watson．Even though she only held office for a short time，she has earned the distinction of the first woman Senator．
Manufacturing increased during World War II（1939－1945），helping the economy to recover．Many Georgians moved to the cities to work factories in the defense industry．After the war，industries continued to expand as several businesses moved into the state．
In the United States House of Representatives，Florence Reville Gibbs of Wayne County was appointed to fill the unexpired term（未满期限，有效期限）of her husband in 1940．She did not seek reelection．The next woman Representative was Helen Douglas Mankin of Fulton County．She was elected to fill the unexpired term of Robert Ramspeck in 1946，and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection．Previously，she had served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1937－1946．Iris Faircloth Blitch of Clinch County was a successful candidate，however，and served from 1955－1963．She also had served in the Georgia General Assembly，both in the Senate（1947－1948，1953－1954）and in the House（1949－1950）．The first African－American woman serving in the U．S．House representing Georgia is Cynthia McKinney，who began her term in 1993．
Georgia had serious racial issues during the 1950s．In 1954，the U．S．Supreme Court ruled segregation（种族隔离）to be illegal in public schools．In 1961，integration（综合）began in some schools in Georgia．However in 1969，the U．S．Department of Justice had to file a suit against the state requesting complete integration of public schools．Restaurants and other public places were required to change，but many chose to close rather than integrate．
In 1965，Grace Towns Hamilton of Fulton County became the first African－American woman to serve in the Georgia House．One of Atlanta’s most prominent activists，she served until 1984．In the 1999－2000term，there are 36women members of the Georgia House．
Cathy Cox was elected Secretary of State on November 3，1998，and became the first female to serve in any of these offices．
In the 1999－2000term，there are 11African－American members of the Georgia Senate，and 33African－American members of the Georgia House of Representatives．
Recently，new industries are continuing to expand in Georgia．State legislation is being passed to help education．The state is also trying to solve problems with overpopulation（人口过剩）and pollution．
Governor州长
Sonny Perdue在2003年1月13日当选为乔治亚州第81位州长。在竞选为州长以前，他在中乔治亚和美国担任各种职务。他做过商人、社会活动家、星期日学校老师、州参议员、参议院多数派领导人、乔治亚州参议院临时会长，还做过美国空军官员。丰富的人生经历为他成为州长无形中奠定了基础。
Sonny Perdue was sworn in as Georgia ’s 81st Governor on January 13，2003．Before his run for Governor，Perdue proudly served his local community，as well as Middle Georgia，his state，and the nation in a variety of roles．He has been a businessman，community leader，Sunday school teacher，State Senator，Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore of the Georgia State Senate，as well as an officer in the United States Air Force．
Sonny was born on December 20，1946，in Perry，Georgia，to a lifelong farmer，and a classroom teacher．Perdue attended Warner Robins High School and earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1971from the University of Georgia．Prior to being admitted to veterinary（兽医）school，he played football at the UGA as a walk on．While still in school he volunteered to serve his country in the United States Air Force where he honed his flying skills，by earning instrument，flight instructor，and multi－engine ratings．A licensed pilot for more than thirty years，Sonny has enjoyed traveling the state in his single－engine Bellanca Super Viking．
Following his honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1974with the rank of Captain and a brief tenure as a practicing veterinarian in Raleigh，North Carolina，Perdue returned to his native Georgia and became a successful small－business owner．He started two businesses from the ground up，concentrating in agribusiness（农业综合企业）and transportation．Today，those businesses have grown to include several locations across the Southeast．
Sonny was already a dedicated leader in his church and his community when he decided to enter public service．After serving on the Houston County Planning and Zoning Board during 1980’s，Sonny caught the attention of local community leaders and was asked to run for the Georgia State Senate．He won，and spent the next 11years representing the people of Houston，Bibb，Bleckley，and Pulaski Counties in the General Assembly．
In a time of increasing apathy（缺乏感情或兴趣，冷漠）toward politicians and policymakers，Sonny Perdue never forgot that his job was to serve the people，not play politics．During his tenure，Sonny’s reputation as a skilled listener，patient decision－maker，and tireless worker earned him the bipartisan（两党连立的）respect of his colleagues．As a result，he rose quickly to leadership positions．After only four years in the Senate，Perdue was selected by his peers to the office of Majority Leader．Then，in 1997，Democratic and Republican Senators elected him President Pro Tempore，another testament to his expertise（专家的意见，专门技术）as one of Georgia’s most effective consensus builders．
As a state senator，he was often praised for tackling issues when no one else had the courage to do so and for his ability to grasp the nuances（细微差别）of complex problems．Sonny was recognized as a leading authority on numerous issues including agriculture，transportation，education，emerging technologies and economic development．