Senator Ed Harbison, of Columbus, was first elected to the Senate from the 15th District in 1992. Senator Harbison represents the citizens of Macon, Marion, Talbot, Taylor, and Schley counties as well as portions of Chattahoochee County and Muscogee County. Senator Harbison is currently Chairman of the State Institutions and Property Committee. He is the ranking member of the Banking and Financial Institutions, Insurance and Labor, Interstate Cooperation, Reapportionment and Redistricting, and Ethics committees. He also serves as Vice Chairman of Veterans, Military and Homeland Security committee and is Ex-Officio of the Regulated Industries and Utilities committee.
During the 2008 General Assembly, Senator Harbison successfully sponsored a bill to ease barriers and alleviate bureaucratic “red tape” for children of military families who transfer from one state to another. Senator Harbison is also responsible for legislation which designated Georgia as a Purple Heart State, established a separate court for Veterans in Georgia, established the Military Hall of Fame in Georgia, and a bill authorizing the consolidation of Chattahoochee County and Cusseta. Prior to his election, Senator Harbison served as second vice-president of the Muscogee County School Board and was a member of the Columbus Charter Review Commission.
Born in Prattville, Alabama and raised in Montgomery, Senator Harbison graduated from the Career Academy School of Broadcasting and attended Troy State University at Fort Benning. He served four years in the U.S. Marines and is a recipient of the Purple Heart. Senator Harbison is a public relations and advertising consultant and a broadcast journalist.
Active in the community, Senator Harbison is a 1990 graduate of Leadership Columbus and a former officer of the Georgia Association of Newscasters. Senator Harbison has been featured on NBC’s “Dateline” news program regarding the death penalty, and has been quoted in USA Today on his opposition to a state redistricting plan.
Senator Harbison has received a number of awards for his professional accomplishments and his community service including: the James Costen Government Services Award, the National Infantry Association’s Order of Saint Maurice for distinguished and gallant support of the Infantry, the Associated Press Annual Award for Best Regularly Scheduled TV Newscast, the Jack Brinkley Service Award, the Department of Defense Vietnam Veterans of Appreciation Award, the Legacy of Leadership Award for outstanding service to the African American community, and Senator Harbison was inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame for his support of Veterans in the state of Georgia.