Former Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin has been hospitalized at Habersham Medical Center in north Georgia after a car accident.

Londa Irvin Wilson, the commissioner's daughter, said Wednesday her 81-year-old father was making good progress since the accident last Thursday. The Times of Gainesville says the hospital reports Irvin is in stable condition.

She says Irvin, who retired last year after serving in the post since 1969, was driving alone when he was involved in a two-car accident in Toccoa,

House Speaker David Ralston told legislators Wednesday that Irvin was in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Irvin was appointed agriculture commissioner in 1969 and voters kept him in office for more than four decades. He was among the longest-serving statewide officials in the nation when he stepped down.

Tags: car accident, Tommy Irvin, former state agriculture commissioner