Russell Gamkrelidze
| Russell Gamkrelidze | |
| File:Russell Gamkrelidze.jpg Gamkrelidze in 1971 | |
| 28th President of Rio Blanco | |
|---|---|
|
In office 1 August 1984 – 1 August 1988 | |
| Prime Minister | Kyle Robertson |
| Preceded by | Thomas Kirchenauer (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Robert Johnson |
| Constituency | Yuma |
| 17th Governor of Yuma | |
|
In office 8 September 1988 – 11 September 1995 | |
| President | Robert Johnson |
| Preceded by | Nigel Kalmer |
| Succeeded by | Flo Marlow |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 November 1930 Aurora, DCD |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Jorjadze |
| Children | Paul, Philip, James, Christine |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox |
| Signature | Russell Gamkrelidze's signature |
Russell Irakli Gamkrelidze (IPA: /gæːŋkrə'lɪdzeɪ/ Georgian: რასელ ირაკლი გამყრელიძე; born in 24 November 1930) is a Rioblancoan politician, 28th President of Rio Blanco and later 17th Governor of the State of Yuma.
Biography
Early life and politics
Russell was born in Aurora (DCD), third of five children born from Iakob Gamkrelidze (1901-1994) and Natia Jaqeli (1903-1997), both coming from Georgian families that escaped the Russian Civil War and settled in Rio Blanco in 1919. He, along with his parents and siblings, moved to Evans, Yuma, in 1936.
In 1967 he was elected Chairman of the Yuman branch of the Home Guard Party.
In 1983, Gamkrelidze decided to run for President in the oncoming 1984 elections. He was picked in the primaries as the main Conservative candidate, after defeating Joe Denton (from Baynice), Phil Gundry (from Las Mesas) and Michael Gallagher (from El Paso). He was later elected President, by defeating Progressive candidate Claire Helper; Gamkrelidze's win was never really put in doubt, as the Progressives were still recovering from the abysmal reputation of their 1980 candidate Lawrence Radigan.
Assassination attempt
An assassination attempt on Gamkrelidze occurred on 9 January 1985, 161 days into his presidency. While leaving the Rio Blanco Convention Center in Denver, after a speaking engagement, Gamkrelidze and two other people were shot and wounded by anarchist Ron Mursley III, who was bearing a Smith & Wesson Model 57. Mursley was also concocting a coup d'état with other anarchists. Mursley then ran away with a Ford LTD Squire and managed to escape to Independence, Missouri, where the police arrested him and brought him back to Rio Blanco.
After the attempted murder, two more anarchists, Lance Coaley Jr. and Eric Imbruglia, connected with the murder and coup d'état, were arrested.
The defense argued that Mursley was schizophrenic, leading him to be confined to the National Mental Health Institue in Denver, before being moved to the newly-built West Pines Behavioral Health Institute in Wheat Ridge (DCD) three years later.
Post-presidency
Shortly after his term came to an end, Gamkrelidze ran for Governor of his home state and was elected to that office, staying there for seven years. He was succeeded by Flo Marlow, first African American woman to hold that position.
In 1994, he was appointed honorary President of the Conservatives.
In October 2003, he and his wife founded the Rio Blanco Association for an Open Society, which funded the Georgian civic youth movement Kmara, active in the Rose Revolution.
Personal life
He married Anne Jorjadze (1932-, coming from another emigrated Georgian family) in 1957. A year later, his first son Paul was born, followed by Philip (1960), James (1962, named after James DiLeo) and Christine (1965).