ATLANTA --- Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson said Friday that he has suffered from depression since his marriage began to unravel 21/2 years ago and said he tried to commit suicide.
"My depression became so severe that I took substantial steps to do harm to myself and to take my own life," the Republican said in a statement released by the House Communications office. Mr. Richardson could not be immediately reached for comment.
In the statement, the Hiram Republican said he has struggled with depression since his separation and divorce from his wife, Susan.
Mr. Richardson was seen outside the state Capitol late Friday as he climbed into a waiting car. No other details about the suicide attempt were provided.
Mr. Richardson has remained silent on his personal life after ethics allegations surfaced that he had had an "inappropriate relationship" with a female utility lobbyist in 2007.
A complaint from Georgia Democrats charged that the relationship took place at the same time Mr. Richardson was co-sponsoring a bill that would have authorized a $300 million pipeline being sought by her employer. The complaint was dismissed by a legislative ethics panel.
The fiery House speaker has been at the center of tumult at the state Capitol in recent years and survived a challenge for his gavel in 2008 launched by a Republican lawmaker who questioned his temperament.
At the end of the 2008 legislative session, Mr. Richardson angrily called for the ouster of Casey Cagle after the lieutenant governor helped kill his tax cut plan. In 2007, Mr. Richardson accused Gov. Sonny Perdue of showing his "backside" after the governor vetoed a tax cut championed by Mr. Richardson and his allies.
In the 2009 session, he was far more subdued, rarely speaking to the press.
Mr. Richardson helped engineer the GOP takeover of the House in 2004 and won the speaker's post soon afterward. He's the first Republican to lead the chamber since Reconstruction.
Mr. Perdue was in Germany visiting troops and was unavailable for comment Friday. Jaillene Hunter, a spokeswoman for Mr. Cagle, said he had reached out to Mr. Richardson and was "praying for him and his family."
There was no word on whether Mr. Richardson intended to continue in his role as House speaker. But Republican lawmakers rallied around their leader. Mr. Richardson revealed news of the attempt in a conference call with the GOP caucus late Friday.
"At this time my thoughts and prayers are with him," said state Rep. Ben Harbin, of Evans.
Mr. Richardson said he felt compelled to speak out "in order to possibly help others."
Minutes after word of his suicide attempt was released, a suicide prevention group released its own statement. "We hope his courage will bring much needed awareness to this public health crisis," said Christina Owens, area director for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Metro Atlanta.
Comments
You just can't win with sin as satan will give you all the help you need. He is seeking whom he can kill or destroy. The Bible says we can cast down any evil thought that comes to our mind. An outward focus and physical stress through exercise is a great relief for depression. Selfcenteredness has been called the basic cause of all grief.
He was far more subdued because he was heavily medicated. Typical Republican. Well at least he sort help. Why are the rest of the Conservatives not doing the same?
ipsy=typical liberal idiot--along with her twin justus
This should tell everyone that when the republicans can not have thier way, they go to the extreme!!!!! Good luck the next time!!!!
all the dems and republicans are nuts. every last one of them. nuttier than a fruitcake at christmas time. all politicians should be herded up and driven to a reservation somewhere, preferably the badlands. along with all the welfare recipients in this nation. sort of like they did to the american indian. you wanna be a politician or on welfare? gotta go live on the res, sorry, and if you want off the res, you need a special dispensation, with papers and forms and all, that you MUST carry with you at all times, so the rest of us normal citizenry can be aware of with whom we are dealing and take proper precautions.
1941: just to let you know, the republicans aren't the only ones who 'act out' when they don't get their own way. the democrats are masters of this and anything the republicans do that you think is 'acting out' is only tricks they learned from your precious dems. like i said, both parties are nuts and so off the track of common-sense, it's not even funny anymore but that's about all you can do is laugh. either that or cry and that gives me a headache, so i'll just laugh instead.
Have a little compassion for the guy. It's not about political ideology, this is a human being with real emotional issues.
yep, you can always tell a liberal, socialist, democrat--just read ipsydoodles, justazzs. and 41s post--typical entitlement crowd rantings!
Justus - that's "mantra."
This man is mentally ill-TRIED to kill himself.This man is inept-he didn't succeed.Mentally ill AND inept-PERFECT politican.
Carrie Prejean will come to his aid.
"Mentally ill AND inept-PERFECT"-Republican.
"Mentally ill AND inept/incompetent = "PERFECT lib ego-driven/incompetents.
Ispy4u, it is the liberals who need to seek help. After all, liberalism IS a mental illness. There is a compulsion among you to steal from others and then give away what is NOT yours. THAT is the ultimate in being self centered......buying favoritism and votes with OTHER peoples money. Your leader, Robin Obama Hood, will see HIS downfall and defeat for HIS self centeredness in 2012!
Beneath you Techlover.
why can't republicans follow through with anything?
He was depressed and despondent after his divorce. Most people are, especially ones that do stupid things to cause the divorce in the first place.
I can't believe what I'm reading. Obviously none of you ever lost a loved one to suicide or you would see it's not a laughing, joking, matter. I disagree with Mr. Richardson's politics, but I'm so sorry that his personal life is so painful that he thought the only way to fix it was suicide. I would not demean myself to poke fun at a suicide attempt.
I was ecstatic after my divorce. The only thing I wanted to kill was a few beers.
Most people love their spouses, and divorces are sad, brutal things that hurt a lot of people. The ones that don't think so- do everyone a favor and stay single.
You liberals have the audacity to call conservatives hateful and mean spirited? Better check yourself in the mirror first.
I wonder if cheating on his wife had something to do with his divorce.
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