His mother died two months after his birth; he was adopted by his maternal grandparents, who raised him on a small tobacco farm, and changed his last name to Fuqua.

He also developed multiple media outlets, including WJBF-TV in Augusta, Georgia, which was a TV station whose call sign shared the initials of his name.

He had additional ventures in real estate, insurance, banking, soft drink manufacturing, and auto finance, which were operated under the name Fuqua Industries.

For example, Fuqua Industries purchased Pacemaker Yachts, Inc. (which included the wholly owned Egg Harbor brand) in 1965.

On November 7, 1957, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, to fill the unexpired term of Richard Lee Chambers III, who had resigned on October 10.

In 1962, Fuqua was elected to the Georgia Senate, taking office in January 1963, in a district previously represented by Carl Sanders.

He was a close friend and supporter of presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter, and former Savannah mayor and billionaire Julius Curtis Lewis Jr.

This conservatory was opened to highlight the botanical richness of selected tropical and desert regions around the world, and to educate visitors on issues of conservation and plant use.

In February 1995, Fuqua donated $3 million to the Heart Center of Atlanta to honor his wife, Dorothy, on their 50th wedding anniversary.

Fuqua Trust awarded a $5 million bequest, which represented the largest estate gift to Piedmont Hospital in its 102-year history.