Former Georgia Public Service Commissioner H. Doug Everett, a pioneer of Georgia infrastructure, died Thursday morning.

A native of Cordele, Georgia, Commissioner Everett was the first Republican elected to the Commission from Southwest Georgia. He was elected in 2002 and retired December 31, 2018. Commissioner Everett was not only a champion of South Georgia but for the entire state of Georgia, he was part of the team responsible for natural gas improvements for two decades. He was 83 years old.

“I want to thank Doug Everett for his dedication as a public servant,” said PSC Chairman Tricia Pridemore. “My prayers are with his wife, Janice, and his entire family.”

Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald was friends with Commissioner Everett for many years.

“I’ve never met a more dedicated couple than Doug and Janice, a very Christian couple,” he said. “I loved the man.”

Commissioner Jason Shaw replaced Commissioner Everett when he retired.

“He was a great man,” Commissioner Shaw said. “I had big shoes to fill.”

“He was so gracious,” said Commission Vice Chairman Tim Echols. “He was a praying man. A man of faith. God bless Doug Everett and his dedication to this state and this Commission.”

“I worked with Doug for over a decade,” said Commissioner Chuck Eaton. “He was the quintessential Southern gentleman. I considered him a mentor and a dedicated colleague but most importantly a friend.”

In 1996, Everett was elected to the Georgia House from Albany and served three terms before his election to the Commission in 2002. As a State Representative, he served on the House Industry Committee and the Subcommittee on Utilities.

Prior to serving as a state legislator, Everett served three terms on the Albany City Commission, including two years as Mayor Pro Tem. Commissioner Everett was a past president of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (SEARUC), a non-profit corporation for the advancement and education of commission regulation and the promotion of cooperation among the commissions of the 12 member states. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Georgia AgriRama Development Authority and was a past member of the Advisory Board of Directors of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.

Everett was born in Cordele, Georgia but moved to Sylvester, Georgia where he graduated high school. He entered Georgia Tech but later transferred to Georgia Teachers College (now Georgia Southern University) and majored in math.

Everett is survived by his wife, Janice, three grown children, Mitch, Mike and Denice Delk, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Services will be held Sunday, August 1 at Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church, 2200 Dawson Road in Albany. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. with the funeral starting at 2 p.m.

The Georgia Public Service Commission is a five-member constitutional agency that exercises its authority and influence to ensure that consumers receive safe, reliable, and reasonably-priced telecommunications, electric and natural gas service from financially viable and technically competent companies.

For more information on the Commission, see the Commission website at https://psc.ga.gov/