EAST COBB - George Thornewell Smith of Marietta, who served in all three branches of Georgia's government - as House Speaker, Lt. Governor and Supreme Court justice - died Monday at 93.

As House Speaker in the 1960s, Smith helped push through former Gov. Carl Sanders' legislative package, measures that expanded education, transportation and economic development in the Peach State, said Georgia's dean of journalism, Bill Shipp.

Those were Georgia's golden years, recalled Tom Browning, who practiced law with Smith near the Marietta Square for 18 years until a few weeks ago when Smith became ill.

"That's when really Georgia emerged ahead of Alabama as a place of progress in the South. I think it was because of their strong leadership," Browning said.

Browning and Shipp spoke of Smith's unimpeachable character, as did U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-east Cobb) and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Roy Barnes.

Smith was a devoted member of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.

"He taught me that not every politician has to be corrupt or sell out to special interests in order to achieve success, and he was one of the early ones to teach me that," Shipp said.

"His legacy will be that he is the kind of politician that every member of the Legislature from both parties should aspire to be."

After graduating from Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College, the Camilla native enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1940 and went on to fight the Nazis in the World War II, earning the rank of Lt. Commander and receiving the Naval Merit Citation. He earned a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1948 and moved to Grady County to practice in Cairo. In addition to his private practice, he served as county attorney, solicitor of the State Court of Grady County, Cairo city attorney and attorney for the Grady County Board of Education.

In 1958, Smith was elected to represent Grady County in the Georgia House. He became Speaker in 1963, serving in that position through 1966, when he was elected lieutenant governor.

In 1976, he was elected to a six-year term on the Georgia Court of Appeals. He thus became the only person in Georgia history to win contested elections in all three branches of government.

"He started as a farm boy and went on to the head of every branch of government we had," Browning said.

Browning said it was Smith's charisma and love of people that helped him get elected.

"He had such charisma that when we would go places counties away there would be people pop up who had not seen him in 20 years, and it was almost like their best friend showed up. He was beaming with charisma. Everybody loved him everywhere he went," Browning said.

Smith was elected to the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1980, serving as presiding justice in 1990 before retiring from the bench in 1991.

Barnes, who practiced law with Smith in the 1990s, called him a "voice of moderation and enlightenment" during the turbulent period of integration.

"When others were talking about closing the school system and closing the universities, the idea of ever closing a place of learning was just foreign to him," Barnes said.

"He was one of the greatest guys that ever lived."

Barnes said Smith taught him about human nature, hard work, using common sense in the practice of law and treating everyone with dignity.

"He always pulled for the underdog or as he called him, 'that po' devil,'" Barnes said.

"I think his legacy is going to be one of standing up for those that didn't have a voice, that can't afford to hire lobbyists."

From time to time, Smith would agree to represent a client who was unlikely to pay the legal bill. But that didn't matter to Smith, Barnes said.

"He would say, 'That's just not right, just not right.' I think his legacy is going to be always helping those who needed help regardless of whether they could pay or not," Barnes said.

Isakson said Smith was a friend of the family.

"He was a great friend and a great Georgian and had probably the best personality of a public official that I've ever known," Isakson said, calling Smith someone who worked to solve problems with a sense of sincerity and fairness.

"Unlike a lot of people who ran for and served in a lot of offices, he will be remembered for what he accomplished for others, not what he accomplished for himself. He was full of compassion and very much a man of the people," Isakson said.

Marietta City Councilman Philip Goldstein said Smith taught him criminal law at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School in the early 1980s.

"He was a great teacher," Goldstein said.

"He was always very fair. The experience and wealth of knowledge he had was tremendous. You could sit and listen to him for quite a long while and learn a lot."

Smith is survived by his wife, Joan Davis Smith of Marietta; stepchildren, Allen V. (Sarah) Cleveland of Acworth; and Alisa C. (Kent) Owens of Buford; his brother, Truett (Glenna) Smith of Elberton, and nieces and nephews.

"I remember him as a wonderful husband and a bright light in my life," Mrs. Smith said.

Funeral services will be conducted at noon Thursday at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church with Pastor Bryant Wright officiating.

Entombment will follow in Arlington Memorial Park with full military honors.

The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, and University of Georgia School of Law. Online condolences may be expressed at www.hm pattersoncantonhill.com.