Politics
Politics

Georgia House Speaker Ralston to be remembered at memorial services this week

Ralston to lie in state at state Capitol
House Speaker David Ralston, right, hugs Rep. Terry England, R-Auburn, in February after England announced that he would not seek reelection. Ralston died last week. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Ben Gray

Credit: Ben Gray

House Speaker David Ralston, right, hugs Rep. Terry England, R-Auburn, in February after England announced that he would not seek reelection. Ralston died last week. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Mark Niesse
Nov 21, 2022

Memorial services for House Speaker David Ralston are planned this week at the state Capitol and in North Georgia.

Ralston died last week at age 68 after leading the state House of Representatives for 13 years.

Ralston, a Republican from Blue Ridge, will lie in state in the rotunda of the state Capitol from 11 a.m. Tuesday until 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Visitations will follow at Logan Funeral Home in Ellijay on Friday and Akins-Cobb Funeral Home in Blue Ridge on Saturday.

A memorial service is planned at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Fannin County High School Performing Arts Center.

All events are open to the public.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC | Source: Getty)

Credit: Philip Robibero / AJC

It’s ‘deepfake’ season. Here’s how to spot AI in political ads.

Review sources with skepticism, and consider whether a particular image or video confirms preexisting — potentially controversial — beliefs, experts advise.

Teen GOP activist steps down from party leadership post

Greene County native and University of North Georgia student Ja’Quon Stembridge, 19, had run on boosting youth involvement in the party.

2h ago
OBITUARY

AME Bishop Reginald Jackson, religious and political leader, dies at 71

Jackson served for eight years as head of 500 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia.

The Latest

Ja'Quon Stembridge — pictured speaking at the monthly Henry County Republican Party meeting in July — was elected over the summer as the assistant secretary of the Georgia GOP. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC 2025)

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Teen GOP activist steps down from party leadership post

2h ago

It’s ‘deepfake’ season. Here’s how to spot AI in political ads.

Georgia dismisses Trump election case, ending his last criminal prosecution

Featured

Carleigh Knight (left) and her sister, Natalie Rogovin, look at Christmas ornaments while shopping at Kudzu Antiques + Modern in Decatur on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller

Metro Atlanta retailers hopeful for strong holiday season after chaotic year

Some independent retailers in metro Atlanta are entering this holiday season feeling battered by what they call a chaotic year.

$21B data center proposal aims to become one of Georgia’s largest

Trammell Crow Co. is planning a $21 billion technology campus for a 1,632-acre site along I-75 roughly 60 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.

This metro Atlanta couple spearheaded a change in football helmets

Erin and Lee Hanson are the founders behind Guardian Sports, the company that makes the Guardian Caps worn by college football and NFL players.