Born in Atlanta on February 14, 1927 to Benjamin Bentley Blackburn Jr. and Sarah (Medlock) Blackburn, he attended public school there and graduated in 1947 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and in 1954 from the Emory University School of Law in Atlanta.

[2] In that same election fellow Republican Bo Callaway challenged the Democrat Lester Maddox, a strong segregationist from Atlanta, in the 1966 gubernatorial race.

Then out of office himself, Blackburn noted that no claim of corruption arose against Maddox, whose administration was characterized by economic development and the appointment of African Americans to state executive positions.

On November 12, his nomination was rejected by the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in an 8–5 vote.

[7] Georgia's 4th congressional district:[8][9][10][11][12] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress