Georgia House Speaker David Ralston has died at the age of 68.
According to a statement, the Republican state lawmaker died after an extended illness. Ralston was with his family, including his wife and his children, when he died.
At the time of his passing, he was the longest currently-serving state House speaker in the United States.
Ralson was representing Georgia’s 7th House district. He had become the 73rd Georgia House Speaker in 2010.
Due to his passing, per the Georgia State Constitution, Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, a Republican, has now become the 74th Speaker of the Georgia House, making her the first female speaker in Georgia state’s history. Jones will serve for the remainder of the term, which ends in January….