Former State Representative Richard Royal was elected to the House of Representatives in 1983 and served until relinquishing his seat in May, 2008. He had represented the 171st District, which included the counties of Mitchell and Colquitt. He had served on the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee as Chairman, Appropriations, Natural Resources and Environment, and Ways & Means Committees where he also served as Chairman of the Property Tax Sub-committee. The legislator was also appointed to the Tobacco Advisory Committee and to the Fiscal Affairs Committee.

Mr. Royal attended Mitchell County High School and The Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to his service in the House of Representatives, Mr. Royal served on the Camilla City Council for ten years. He received multiple awards and honors for leadership from the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and The Georgia Municipal Association. In 2003, Mr. Royal became the first recipient of the Presidential Citation from Georgia Tech.

Mr. Royal and his wife, Marilyn, have five children and nine grandchildren. He is a deacon at Pebble City Baptist Church and has been a Sunday school teacher for over 24 years. He also is a business owner and a consultant for the petroleum industry.