Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery (August 5, 1920 – May 12, 2006) was an American politician from Mississippi who served in the U.S. House of Representatives 1967–1997. Montgomery, who was considered a pro-defense and pro-veterans Democrat, resided in Meridian, the seat of Lauderdale County, in eastern Mississippi. Born in Laurel, Mississippi, he attended Mississippi State University in Starkville and was a member of Beta Tau chapter of Kappa Alpha Order. He served in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant during World War II and also in the Korean conflict. He retired from the Mississippi National Guard as a Major General in 1980. He was the author of the G.I. Bill of Rights that gives servicemen money to pay for college and was a lead sponsor in establishing the Veterans Affairs cabinet level position.
On September 13, 1988, Sonny Montgomery became the first congressman to lead the U.S. House in citing the Pledge of Allegiance as a permanent part of its daily and morning business operations [1]. The day prior to his death, Congressman Gene Taylor introduced an amendment to House Defense Appropriations Bill to rename the bill the Sonny Montgomery National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. Following his death, President Bush ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half staff [2]. In addition, the U.S. House of Representatives canceled non-suspension votes on the day of his funeral.
Career in Public Life
A Democrat, Montgomery held the following positions:
- Mississippi State Senator, 1956–1966
- U.S. Representative from Mississippi, 1967–97 (4th District 1967–73, 3rd District 1973–97)
- Chairman, House Veterans' Affairs Committee
- Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1996.
On November 10, 2005, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest American civilian honor, by President George W. Bush. [3]
Memorials
A number of public projects have been named in his honor, including:
- A statue of Montgomery on the campus of Mississippi State University where he was Student Association President for the 1942–43 school year.
- The VA Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi
- The G. V. Montgomery Lock on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
- The G. V. "Sonny" Montgomery Naval Reserve Center at NAS Meridian in Meridian, Mississippi
- The G. V. Montgomery Airport in Forest, Mississippi
- The Mississippi Air National Guard’s C-17 Globemaster II was named “The Spirit of G.V. ‘Sonny’ Montgomery.” Montgomery became the third person in the United States to have a military fleet named in their honor.
- The G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Center for America's Veterans at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi.
External links
| Preceded by Prentiss Walker |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 4th congressional district 1967–1973 |
Succeeded by Thad Cochran |
| Preceded by Charles H. Griffin |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 3rd congressional district 1973–1997 |
Succeeded by Chip Pickering |
