The Last WWII Veteran in a State Legislature Loses Primary

It's an end of an era for state legislators across the country as the last veteran of World War II lost his seat in a Georgia primary election on Tuesday.

Republican John Yates, who is also the oldest known state lawmaker, lost his bid for re-election against Karen Mathiak in an election run-off. Despite coming in first place in his May primary (missing the 50 percent threshold to avoid a run-off by merely 50 votes), Yates lost the run-off to Mathiak by about 500 votes.

Yates fought in the Battle of the Bulge and flew more than 200 missions in a Piper Cub Aircraft. He has been a state representative for his district south of Atlanta since 1993.