Representative Bill Hembree

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Born in Villa Rica, Georgia, Republican State Representative Bill Hembree went on to see much of the world. The Legislator for the Douglasville area has visited 31 different states and 34 countries! He graduated from Douglas County High School and later traveled the globe on his quest for knowledge. Having lost his father at the age of 3, Hembree and his 4 older siblings were raised solely by his mother. This caused him to have to really work hard in order to go to college, earning scholarships to a number of places. This hard work kept him motivated to keeping learning more and more.

In 1985, he was a member of the National President Distributive Education Club of America and a part of the Youth for Understanding Exchange Student program, for which he earned a scholarship and spent time in Germany. From 1987-1989, he attended Johnson and Wales College and University in Providence Rhode Island on a scholarship, earning both his Associates and Bachelor’s Degrees and graduating Cum Laude for both. The institution also awarded him the University President’s Trophy. Also in 1987, he participated in the University of Pittsburgh’s Shipboard education program. This program allowed Representative Hembree and many other students to travel abroad via ship and see much of the world, doing field studies wherever they docked. He described the experience as the most rewarding and interesting part of his education.

In 1990 he participated in the Master’s Program at the University of Glagsgow in Scotland for a year, studying International Finance. At one point, the Representative was fluent in both French and German! The aforementioned academic accolades certainly serve as points of merit for Hembree’s recent appointment as Chairman of the Higher Education Committee, for which he has had an active membership role in for the last 12 years. He is also currently a member of the Appropriations and Intra-governmental Affairs Committees. In 1997 he was appointed to the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Chairman Hembree has been married to his wife, Beth, for 12 years. The couple has twin sons, Thomas and Miles who are 2, and an older son, Will Jr. who is 8. The family regularly attends the First Baptist Church of Douglasville where Hembree teaches Sunday school. His involvement in other civic duties includes membership in the Chamber of Commerce and National Youth Chairman for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.