Herman Talmadge

Herman Eugene Talmadge (* August 9, 1913 in McRae, Telfair County, Georgia, † 21 March 2002 in Hampton, Georgia ) was an American politician of the Democratic Party, Governor of Georgia and U.S. Senator.

Early years and political rise

Herman Talmadge was the son of Eugene Talmadge, who had been Governor of the State of Georgia several times in the 1930s and 40s. He studied at the University of Georgia Law and made his degree in 1936. During World War II he served in the Pacific as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. After his return in 1946 he was campaign manager for his father, who again competed despite severe health problems to the governorship. Eugene Talmadge was actually chosen and should be introduced in January 1947 in his office.

Constitutional crisis with three governors

On December 21, 1946 Eugene Talmadge died from a liver disease before he was introduced to the office of governor. As a result, there was one of the most bizarre situations throughout American history. The Constitution of Georgia had recently created the office of lieutenant governor. This office should be occupied for the first time with the new term of office. Melvin Thompson, an opponent of Talmadge, was elected the first Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in the 1946 elections. Under the Constitution, the vice-governor should exercise the office of governor, if it died during his term of office or resigned for other reasons out of office. Now Eugene Talmadge at the time of his death, but not yet in office, and the discussion about the succession was erupted between the three groups. For the first claimed Thompson as an elected Vice- Governor, the Office for itself. The Talmadge supporters were decided against this solution. They proposed the election of Herman Talmadge by the National Assembly. This was their plan from the beginning, if Eugene Talmadge could not take office. Finally, the Assembly endorsed this proposal and voted on January 15, 1947 Herman Talmadge as the new governor. Thompson was brought by the Supreme Court of Georgia.

The outgoing governor Ellis Arnall now saw a problem. Since he did not know exactly who now unless his successor, he refused to hand over the office. That brought the Talmadge - trailer into a rage; they hated Arnall anyway because of its anti - Talmadge policy over the last four years. Among the followers of the different camps there was even tangible brawls. Meanwhile, Herman Talmadge had let occupy the Governor building military and declared himself the governor of Georgia, while Arnall and Thompson also claimed that office. For a short time Georgia in January 1947 had thus simultaneously three governors. Finally Arnall gave up and recognized Thompson as new Governor on. Thus, but there was still the two rivals Thompson and Herman Talmadge, who overthrew the government for another two months into political chaos. In March 1947, the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled in favor of Thompson. This should officiate as long as governor until 1948 elections should solve the problem. Herman Talmadge was surprisingly quickly and was preparing for the elections, which he should win in 1948.

Governor and U.S. Senator

After the verdict from 1947 Talmadge prepared before the next ballot. This led in 1948 to a landslide election victory. In 1950 he was re-elected for a full term of four years. One of his main goals was the establishment of more industries in Georgia. At the same time he was a reactionary segregationist. The Constitution forbade a direct re-election for a full term of office; therefore he could not run again as governor in 1956. Instead, he applied successfully for a seat in the Senate of the United States, which he held until January 1981. During this time he worked on several committees. Among other things, he was a member of the Senate committee investigating the Watergate affair. In 1979, he was himself the subject of an investigation, as in his financial irregularities were detected. For this he was then reprimanded. At the same time he went through at the time, a messy divorce, which was publicly held, and had a drinking problem. In 1980, he then lost the Senate election to Republican Mack Mattingly, who moved the first Republican for Georgia since the end of Reconstruction in the 1870s in the Senate.

Evening of life and death

Talmadge now retired to Hampton, Georgia, back and even practiced for a time as a lawyer. There he died in 2002 at the age of 88 years.