Nathan Dean, Former Paulding Legislator, Dies

A former state senator for Paulding County has passed away.

Nathan Dean died Saturday morning at age 79, according to his obituary at Freeman Harris Funeral Home.

A graduate of Rockmart High School and Shorter College, Dean was first elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1974, according to his archived bio on the Georgia General Assembly website. The Democrat during his time in the state senate served Polk, Haralson and Paulding counties and a portion of Bartow County. He also served in the Georgia House of Representatives and on the Rockmart City Council.

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Dean’s former District 31 seat is now held by Bill Heath, R-Bremen. His current state senate district consists of Haralson and Polk counties and portions of Paulding.

Dean’s legacy can be seen across the counties he once served, as his name graces several landmarks. Many Paulding County motorists drive on Nathan Dean Boulevard in Dallas each day. In Bartow County, his name was bestowed on one of the large meeting rooms of the Cartersville Public Library. And in Rockmart, residents can play on several athletic fields or get onto the Silver Comet Trail at the Nathan Dean Sports Complex.

Funeral services for Dean will be held Tuesday, June 11 at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Rockmart. Interment services will follow in the family lot of Rose Hill Cemetery with the West Georgia Masonic Memorial Club in charge of Masonic graveside rites. Dean will be taken to the church to lie in state from 1 p.m. until the funeral hour. 

The family will receive friends in the Great Room of the First Baptist Church of Rockmart on Monday, June 10, from 5 to 9 p.m.