John Hardy Isakson is a businessman and politician who served as a member of the Republican Party as a United States Senator representing Georgia from 2005 to 2019.
Johnny Isakson passed away Sunday morning at age 76 after battling Parkinson’s disease.
Johnny was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from the University of Georgia after serving in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972.
Isakson started a real estate branch for Northside Realty and later became the company’s president for 22 years.
He was elected in 1976 after a failed 1974 bid for the Georgia House of Representatives. He was elected to seven terms, four of which he served as minority leader.
In 1990, Isakson ran for governor of Georgia as a Republican but lost.
He was elected to the Georgia Senate two years later and served one term. In the 1996 U.S. Senate election, he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary.
It is with deep sorrow that The Isakson Initiative shares that former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson passed away overnight on December 19, 2021, at age 76.
Sen. Isakson’s family is grateful for the prayers and support.
Funeral arrangements will be shared when finalized.
— Johnny Isakson (@SenatorIsakson) December 19, 2021
Was Johnny Isakson Sick With Parkinson’s Disease?
Isakson’s son, John Isakson, told The Associated Press that his father died in his sleep at his Atlanta home before daybreak Sunday.
Although his father had Parkinson’s disease, according to John Isakson, the reason for death was not immediately apparent.
Isakson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015. Since his diagnosis, he had fallen multiple times, including this past July, when he broke four ribs.
He announced he’d had surgery to remove a tumour on his kidney during his retirement announcement.
As a member of the Board of @ParkinsonDotOrg, I thank the many friends of The Isakson Initiative who made possible our recent leadership gift to the #ReachFurther campaign. We remain focused on advancing research and finding a cure. https://t.co/w3cAK9Emhd
— Johnny Isakson (@JohnnyIsakson) November 16, 2021
Johnny Isakson Family
He married Dianne in 1968, and they have three children, John, Julie, and Kevin, and eight grandchildren.
They live in Marietta and are members of Mount Zion United Methodist Church, where Isakson spent 30 years teaching sixth-grade Sunday school.
“As we mourn the demise of our dad, we are grateful for everyone’s prayers,” Isakson’s oldest son, John Isakson, stated in a press release from Isakson’s team.
Johnny Isakson loved his family very much, and his family will forever miss him.
Johnny Isakson Net Worth
Johnny Isakson is an American politician with a $15 million net worth.
Members of the federal government were not given a salary in the early days of American independence since most of them were already affluent.
We are in this fight with you, @MarkRicht.
The battle against Parkinson’s has only strengthened our faith, family, community and resolve. Together with @universityofga’s GRA Eminent Scholar in Parkinson’s Research, we will keep working for a cure. #DGD #IsaksonInitiative https://t.co/FwrPZB6TYs
— Johnny Isakson (@SenatorIsakson) July 2, 2021
The average congressional representative – both senators and House members – has a net worth of over $500,000, nearly five times that of the average American household.