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Politics & Government

Patch Profile: Rep. Edward Lindsey Says He Inherited Political Gifts

Buckhead representative exerts power in Legislature

With politics running through his blood, Republican House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey always knew he would try his hand at the public service profession.

Lindsey, a Buckhead native who represents the community's 54th District, said watching his grandfather politick from a young age and having a great-grandfather who served in the Georgia House of Representatives at the turn of the previous century were factors that pushed him to pursue his own political career. 

“I come from a family that has a history in that,” he said. “Politics runs deep in my family.”

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Lindsey graduated from Davidson College in 1981 with a bachelor of arts in history. He went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating in 1984.

While he grew up in the metro area, his family’s roots in rural Georgia and memories of summers on his family’s farm in Wilcox County pushed him to pursue employment in a small town following graduation from law school.

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For three years Lindsey practiced law in a small town in northern Georgia. While he said he “enjoyed it immensely” and garnered a great deal of experience in the legal field, he couldn’t resist the uniqueness that made him fall in love with Atlanta in the first place.

Today, Lindsey spends about 75 percent of his professional time practicing law at the firm he and a couple of his friends founded in 1990 — Goodman, McGuffy, Lindsey & Johnson LLP. The other quarter is dedicated to his work in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Lindsey has spearheaded various pet causes over the past few years, including anti-human trafficking and child welfare legislation. He has emerged as a leading defender of the Republicans' recently approved reapportionment plan, under which he gained territory in Buckhead and lost Sandy Springs areas. His most recent endeavor and major project for the coming year is geared at improving transportation in the metro area.

“The challenge for us in the 21st century is what to do with all of these new people. Getting people from point A to point B is not only an economic development issue, but it is also a family issue,” Lindsey said. “My major goal in the next year is focusing on transportation. We’ve got to get it right. There’s a lot of moving parts before the referendum on the T-SPLOST.”

Over the years, Lindsey has gained great respect from his colleagues in the House.

Rep. Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs), who will represent portions of Buckhead under the redrawn poltiical maps, characterized Lindsey as a brotherly figure with “great wit” and intelligence.

“I truly believe Edward is the brightest member of the General Assembly. He is just remarkably smart. I mean that with all of my heart,” Wilkinson said.

House Speaker David Ralston expressed similar feelings about Lindsey, citing his “keen insight into issues” and “passion for public service” as key factors that any constituency would want to see in a public official.

When he is not practicing law or politics, Lindsey spends his time with his wife, Elizabeth, and his three boys, Harman, Charlie and Zack. While hesitant to divulge too much, Lindsey modestly admitted he enjoys a good run and playing sports. He recalled one of his favorite runs was in downtown Madison, Wisc., up to Picnic Point.

Lindsey has no plans to give up the political game just yet.

“I’m going to stay in politics as long as I enjoy it and I feel that I can make a difference,” he said. “Elizabeth and I sit down in January of every even year and sort of decide between ourselves whether or not I will come back. I think for the foreseeable future, provided that the people of Buckhead want me, I intend to say.”

As for his future political aspirations, Lindsey said for now he has his hands full with three boys in college.

 


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