Perry lost one of its most durable public figures when Larry Walker, the lifelong resident who practiced law there and spent nearly his entire life in the city, died on June 10, 2026, at 91. The former Georgia House Majority Leader was a titan of state politics who never lost his local touch.

Walker earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia in 1964 and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1965, then returned home to Perry to practice law. In 1972, he won election to the Georgia General Assembly by taking the seat once held by Sam Nunn, an early sign of the reach he would later bring to state government.

His influence grew steadily inside the Capitol. Beginning in 1983, Walker served as administration floor leader for Gov. Joe Frank Harris, and from 1986 to 2004 he was majority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, a run that made him one of the chamber’s central strategists for nearly two decades. He later said his departure in 2004 came after 32 years in the House because, as he put it, “I just think it’s time to quit.” He added, “I’ve been in (the House) 32 years, and I want to go out when I’m on top,” and, “I’ve seen people who stayed too long, and I don’t want to be one of those.”

Those who served with him remembered a lawmaker who combined command of the floor with uncommon judgment. Former Rep. Calvin Smyre said, “From a legislative perspective, they don’t come any better than Larry Walker,” and added, “He was one of the best and one of the brightest I served with.” Former state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver called him “a gifted politician and leader” who brought “intelligence and strategy” to House leadership.

Walker’s reach extended well beyond the chamber. In 1985, he and Rep. Henry Reaves conceived the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter as a way to promote Georgia agribusiness, leaving a lasting landmark tied to the state’s farm economy. At the University of Georgia School of Law, he helped secure funding for Dean Rusk Hall, and the school later dedicated a room in his honor on Nov. 16, 2001. Dean David Shipley said Walker “often seeks out the University, offering assistance, suggesting opportunities and bringing together others who can help the University,” and called him “a dear friend of the School of Law.”

Even after leaving the House, Walker kept serving Georgia. Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed him to the University System of Georgia Board of Regents in 2009 as an at-large member, and he later represented Georgia’s 8th Congressional District on the Georgia Department of Transportation Board. He was married to Adrienne, and his son, Larry Walker III, later served in the Georgia State Senate and became Senate president pro tem in 2026.

Walker’s legacy was built in Perry, in the House, and in the institutions he helped shape. He was at home in a local law office and in the Speaker’s inner circle, a strategist who knew when to press and when to step aside. What endured was not just his length of service, but the sense that he kept finding ways to help the state he loved, and that Georgia kept feeling the effects long after he left the floor.