John Georges () (born October 16, 1960) is an American businessman from New Orleans, who owns Louisiana's two largest newspapers and online news sites. He formerly served on the Louisiana Board of Regents, the body which supervises higher education in his native state. In 2007, he ran for governor as an independent. He received 186,000 votes and procured a plurality in Orleans Parish. In 2010, he sought the office of mayor of New Orleans as a Democrat; he finished a distant third behind two other Democrats. Early life John Georges was born in New Orleans to Dennis and Anita Georges. His father was a Greek immigrant who put John to work at the age of eleven sweeping the warehouse for the family business. At the age of fifteen, he began making deliveries in a truck. Georges maintained leadership roles throughout his education, ranging from high school class president and student body president to president of his fraternity in college. He continued working throughout college and graduated in 1983 on the dean's list from Tulane University. Family John met his wife, the former Dathel Coleman, on a blind date set up by their best friends. They have two daughters, Zana and Liza, and a son, Nike. Career Georges was a commissioner of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and is the chairman of Georges Enterprises. The Public Belt Commission exerts management of the publicly owned terminal-switching railroad in New Orleans and maintains the railroad portion of the Huey P. Long Bridge over the Mississippi River. In 2008, the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad celebrated the opening of its refurbished main facility. In 1992, Georges was appointed by the governor to the Board of Regents, which has budgetary responsibility for Louisiana's public higher education, including nineteen public colleges, universities, and professional schools. He has served as a member of over 25 boards - including the University of New Orleans Foundation, LSU Medical Foundation, and Tulane President's Council, the National WWII Museum, the Miller Center at the University of Virginia, the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, St. Augustine High School, the Hellenic Initiative and more. John Georges is now chairman of Georges Enterprises, which includes grocery distribution, offshore marine services, video and arcade entertainment, food services, and investments. Georges Enterprises began as Imperial Trading Company in 1916. Imperial Trading is a wholesale grocery company that distributes goods ranging from candy to health and