Biography

Representative Amos Amerson has led quite a full and exciting life. After being raised on a farm in Washington County, Georgia, he managed to see much of the world through 22 years of military service before retiring in 1978. His last tour of duty was with the "Atomic Energy Commission" of the Energy Department, during which he coordinated underground nuclear testing with the Department of Defense. The retired army Lt. Colonel actually has a degree in Nuclear Engineering with a specialty in Radiation Safety, a Master’s Degree in Quantitative Methods, and a Ph D in Economic Statistics. He has served in Vietnam as well as most of the Pacific Region from Korea to Thailand. He was assigned to the Joint Chief’s of Staff Joint Strategic Targeting Planning Staff, which analyzed intelligence to determine the Russian’s capabilities and afterwards planned targets for strategic nuclear delivery. Amos was also the Chief of the Strategic Analysis Section. After his retirement from the military, he taught in the Business Department of North Georgia College and State University from 1982-1998.

The Dahlonega City Council is the group responsible for persuading Representative Amerson to run for his first political office. In the Spring of 2000, a group of concerned citizens urged him to represent Lumpkin County’s needs in the General Assembly, which they felt were not being met. He ran against the incumbent and won in a runoff that November. For the 2005-2006 Session, Representative Amerson has served as the Chairman for the Science and Technology Committee, which his background certainly seems to support. Speaker of the House, Glenn Richardson, recently appointed him to the Georgia Technology Oversight Committee. Amerson is also a member of the following committees: Appropriations, Higher Education, and Public Utilities and Telecommunications.

Chairman Amerson married his college sweetheart Anne in 1956; the couple met at North Georgia College. Their 3 children later attended the same school. Sadly, the couple’s middle child died in 1988 from a mountain climbing accident. They now have 2 grandsons who were Pages on the opening day of the new session. His wife Anne is a writer who has kept a record of the oral history of Dahlonega through 4 volumes of "I Remember Dahlonega." She also writes for several magazines. Chairman Amerson is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, The Sunrise Rotary Club, and the Board of Lumpkin County Literacy Coalition. When he isn’t busy representing the needs of his constituents, he enjoys golfing, hunting and fishing.