By: J. Randolph Evans

The average person does not know who Jim Wooten is. Yet, every insider, pundit, politician, and elected official knows exactly who he is. He was a conservative columnist with the Atlanta Journal Constitution (“AJC”). With little fanfare last year, Jim Wooten retired. He was one of the last credible columnists of Georgia’s most liberal newspaper.

Somehow, it just does not seem right that the Georgia General Assembly is in session or a Presidential race underway without Jim Wooten commenting on its ins and outs.

As a writer, Jim Wooten always found himself in the best position to learn and then comment on what was actually happening in the political world. This was no accident. Jim Wooten had earned the confidence of the most powerful politicians – both Democrats and Republicans. There is a reason why.

Jim Wooten understood the difference between reporting the agenda of leaders and advancing a media-backed agenda. Sometimes, he did it with humor and wit. Other times, he let the topics do the work. Yet, it was never Jim Wooten’s agenda; instead, he was a reporter, not a newspaper-employed politician trying to promote his ideas of what was best for Georgia.

Jim Wooten had a hard-earned advantage in writing his columns – his personal success story. His roots are in Georgia clay and he understands Georgia like no one else.

Born in McRae, Georgia – the fourth of six children – Jim Wooten grew up in public housing in Macon, Georgia and knew what it was like to be poor before being poor was cool. He attended public schools.

After graduation, he worked in a cotton mill. He then entered Mercer University in Macon on a Winn Dixie scholarship. When his scholarship ended, he had to drop out and work at a bus assembly plant. But, he did not give up.

Jim Wooten attended Middle Georgia College and then got into the University of Georgia. As a UGA graduate, Jim Wooten is indeed a member of the Bulldog Nation.

In a state with so many important military bases, Jim Wooten’s service in the Army is notable. A Vietnam veteran, he served 20 years in Georgia’s Air National Guard. It is one thing to report on the military without any context for what it all means. It is quite another thing to analyze military issues after having served his country.

With all of this to draw on, Jim Wooten sat comfortably in the room with governors, Speakers, legislators, and movers and shakers.

But he did not stop there. When writing columns, he researched and verified every word to make sure that every column was thorough, accurate, and complete. He understood that just one mistake, one error, and thousands of readers would call him on it.

Being the only real conservative columnist at a liberal newspaper meant that his columns were subject to even more scrutiny. But he never backed down.

Throughout his career, Jim Wooten was consistently the voice of fiscal conservatism in Georgia. He understood the dangers and implications of the growth of government.

Mostly, Jim Wooten challenged ‘good ole boy’ politics, especially when it involved corruption. He was unrelenting. He had a seemingly unending series of columns exposing an old Democrat practice of allowing legislators to convert part-time legislative service into full-time pensions. More than anyone else, he stopped it in its tracks.

Jim Wooten started his writing career at the Athens Daily News. He worked at U. S. News & World Report (eventually becoming Bureau Chief) when it was still relevant. By the time he left the AJC, Jim Wooten was the Associate Editorial Page Editor and the lone conservative voice – challenging Cynthia Tucker at every turn – offering an intellectual (sometimes witty) retort to things that just do not make sense in the real world.

Jim Wooten was never political.  For him, there was conservative vs. liberal as opposed to Republican vs. Democrat.  During most of his tenure at the AJC, Democrats were the only party.

Jim Wooten’s skill as a writer did not go unnoticed. He was an award-winning columnist. He is the former President of the Georgia Press Association and a lifetime trustee of the Georgia Press Association’s educational fund.

As his blog on Thinking Right With Jim Wooten entitled “A road map for conservatives” (http://blogs.ajc.com/thinking-right/) illustrated, Jim Wooten’s depth of knowledge extends from British politics to Georgia transportation to Albany state college to the Atlanta public schools. Georgia Trend magazine named him as one of “The 100 Most Powerful and Influential People in Georgia.”

Jim Wooten was apt to say “a little light humor can make life more fun.” He made Georgians think and he made them smile. Today, he does okay taking care of his grandchild and trying to make a Middle Georgia family farm work. His voice is missed.