Nathan Deal

Nathan Deal
Deal in 2017
82nd Governor of Georgia
In office January 10, 2011 – January 14, 2019
Lieutenant	Casey Cagle
Preceded by	Sonny Perdue
Succeeded by	Brian Kemp
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia
In office January 3, 1993 – March 21, 2010
Preceded by	Ed Jenkins
Succeeded by	Tom Graves
Constituency	9th district (1993–2003) 10th district (2003–2007) 9th district (2007–2010)
Member of the Georgia State Senate from the 49th district
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Howard Overby
Succeeded by	Jane Hemmer
Personal details
Born	John Nathan Deal (1942-08-25) August 25, 1942 (age 81) Millen, Georgia, U.S.
Political party	Republican (1995–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 1995)
Spouse	Sandra Dunagan ​ ​ (m. 1966; died 2022)​
Children	4
Education	Mercer University (BA, JD)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1966–1968
Rank	Captain

John Nathan Deal (born August 25, 1942) is an American politician and former lawyer who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, he previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Deal served in the Georgia State Senate from 1981 to 1993, the last two years as president pro tempore of the senate. He faced a crowded field of candidates in the Republican primary when he ran for governor in 2010, ultimately facing former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel in a tightly contested primary runoff election, and won by fewer than 2,500 votes.^[1] In the general election, Deal defeated the Democratic opponent, former governor Roy Barnes, and succeeded term-limited Sonny Perdue in 2011.^[2] He won his re-election campaign for governor in 2014 against Democrat Jason Carter.

Deal came to prominence in 2014 when he signed into law the Safe Carry Protection Act, known by critics as the "Guns Everywhere Law", which allows residents with a permit to carry a concealed weapon to bring firearms into most public areas, including churches, school zones, government buildings and certain sections of airports. He was barred by term limits in 2018 and was succeeded by outgoing Secretary of State Brian Kemp.