Burns also served as a member of the United States Army Reserve from 1973 to 1981. He served as a member of the Screven County Commission from 1993 to 1998 and as chairman towards the end of his tenure.
Prior to his tenure in Congress,he was a professor of information systems at Georgia Southern University's College of Business Administration in Statesboro,Georgia. Burns was also a Senior Fulbright Scholar,teaching Corporate Information Management in Sweden. He has also taught in Australia,New Zealand,and South Korea.
After his final bid to regain his congressional seat,Burns served as senior policy adviser at Thelen,Reid and Priest,LLP in Washington,D.C.[1] He also served as associate dean and chair of the business administration department at the Cottrell School of Business at North Georgia College &State University. In 2011,he was appointed as president of Gordon College. He served in that role until his retirement on December 31,2017.[3]
In January 2024,Burns co-sponsored S.B.390,which would withhold government funding for any libraries in Georgia affiliated with the American Library Association.[4][5]
Initially,Burns was thought to be a significant underdog in the general election. The 12th had been drawn as a Democratic stronghold. Additionally,Burns ran on a very conservative platform. However,the Democratic candidate,Augusta businessman Charles "Champ" Walker Jr.,son of state Senate majority leader Charles Walker Sr.,was dogged by ethical questions and began losing ground during the summer. Eventually,Burns won by a surprising 10-point margin,taking 55% to Walker's 45 percent.
2004
Burns was elected president of the Republican freshman class,but was a top Democratic target in the 2004 elections. His 2004 Democratic opponent was Athens-Clarke County Commissioner John Barrow,who beat Burns 52% to 48%.
2006
In May 2005,Burns announced that he would seek a rematch against Barrow in 2006. The state legislature,now controlled by Republicans,had conducted a highly controversial mid-decade redistricting. In the process,they drew Barrow's home in Athens out of the district and moved several Republican-leaning Savannah suburbs from the 1st District. Although the result was to make the 12th about five points more African-American than its predecessor,it was also slightly less Democratic.
Barrow narrowly defeated Burns,50.3% to 49.7%,the closest margin for a Democratic incumbent in the cycle. While Burns won 14 of the district's 22 counties,he lost in the two largest counties,Chatham and Richmond,home to Savannah and Augusta respectively. President George W. Bush made two personal appearances campaigning on behalf of former Representative Burns.[citation needed] The first appearance by President Bush was in Savannah,Georgia and the second in Statesboro,Georgia. This was the second time a sitting president has visited Savannah Georgia and first time a sitting president has visited Statesboro Georgia.
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