Founder of Troutman Sanders, a former governor, dies at 89
The founder of the law firm now known as Troutman Sanders has died at the age of 89.
Carl Sanders had an impressive record of achievement before he founded the law firm, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Associated Press and a press release.
According to the Journal-Constitution, Sanders “gave up his role as a quarterback at UGA to go off to fight a war, now nearly 70 years gone. He learned to fly a bomber, which he named in honor of his home state. He dated a Hollywood starlet. He became a lawyer, then a lawmaker, then a governor–all by the age of 37–then went on to become a leading business figure.”
Sanders had opposed a segregationist candidate when he successfully ran for the state house in 1954. He later was elected to the state senate and served three terms. As governor from 1963 to 1967, AP says, he “took quiet steps to eliminate segregation in state facilities,” expanded the educational system, and helped bring professional sports to Atlanta.
Sanders launched the law firm that became Troutman Sanders in 1967 with two partners. In 1970, he made another run for governor and lost to Jimmy Carter.
Troutman Sanders chairman Robert W. Webb Jr. commented in a press release. “Governor Sanders was an extraordinary and rare individual who achieved phenomenal success both in the public and private sectors,” Webb said. “He was, in many ways, responsible for helping to build the foundation for success that has made the modern Georgia what it is today.”
