illness.
He was born on November 9, 1933, in Columbus, Georgia, to Mary Jo Hilton and John
Alfred Blackmon. He attended Wynnton Grammar School and graduated from
Columbus High School in 1951. He received a BS degree from Auburn University in
1955 where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. After graduation, he was
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force. He graduated from the Air
Force Navigation and Radar Observer schools in 1957. After three years of active duty
service, he attended the Lamar School of Law at Emory University and received an
LL.B degree in 1961. On November 30, 1966, he married Connie Comer of Tampa,
Florida. He flew as a navigator with the Georgia Air National Guard for 13 years and
received the Vietnam Service Medal. In 1974, he was admitted to the US Air Force
Judge Advocates Corp., where he served for seven years and retired as a colonel.
After law school, he remained in Atlanta where he raised his family and had a long,
successful law career until retiring in 1999. His law career afforded him many
opportunities to serve the public. Following law school, he served as an attorney in the
Georgia State Law Department where he rose to the position of Assistant Attorney
General. In 1968 he was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Department
of Revenue. In 1970, Governor Maddox appointed him State Revenue Commissioner.
Then Governor Carter reappointed him in 1971, and he served through Carter’s term.
His service in state government was marked by his work to support Carter’s
reorganization plan. This work included an internal reorganization of the Revenue
Department that modernized the state’s money management system. Much of this work
remains in place today, most notably the integration of the process for filing federal and
state income tax, simplifying the process for all Georgians.
While in state government, he lobbied for the initial funds to build the Georgia World
Congress Center including advocating for the state’s first hotel/motel tax to fund it.
Throughout his career, he continued to work on behalf of the Georgia hospitality
industry including expanding the hotel/motel tax to help fund other projects key to the
modern growth of Atlanta, including the 1988 Democratic Convention, the Georgia
Dome, and the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Following his state government career, Mr. Blackmon joined the Atlanta law firm of
Smith, Cohen, Ringel, Kohler & Martin (now Smith, Gambrell & Russell) where he
became an equity partner in the firm in 1978 and a retired partner in 1999.
John maintained high levels of civic engagement throughout his life. Following the 1994
midterm elections, at the request of then Governor Zell Miller, John served as
Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia from 1995 to 1997. During his tenure as
chairman, the Georgia Democratic Party helped to elect Senator Max Cleland in 1996
and kept Georgia in play for the presidential election. For many years, he was a
member of the Board of Directors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and is
especially proud of his membership in the Atlanta Lawyers Club, the Old War Horse
Lawyers Club, the Gridiron Society of the University of Georgia, and the Rotary Club of
Harris County. Notably, he is a founding member of St. Nicholas Episcopal Church.
Survivors include his wife, Connie Comer Blackmon of Pine Mountain, Georgia, his
daughters Elizabeth Blackmon (Tripp Cook) and Mary Campbell (Sam), grandsons John
and Robert Campbell, brother Joseph Hilton Blackmon (Henrietta), niece Jennifer
Blackmon McGrady (Jonathan), and sister-in-law Pamela Burns.
Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, 2018, at St. Nicholas Episcopal
Church. Interment will take place after the service in the Memory Garden at the church
followed by a reception in the parish hall.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Nicholas Episcopal
Church Memory Garden or Building Fund, 69 Mobley Road, Hamilton, Georgia.
Fond memories and condolences may be offered at www.shcolumbus.com.
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