Melvin E. Thompson

Melvin Ernest Thompson ( born May 1, 1903 in Millen, Georgia, † October 3, 1980 in Valdosta, Georgia ) was an American politician and governor of Georgia.

Youth and political rise

Until 1926 he attended Emory University and then in 1935 he made his MA at the University of Georgia. He decided to pursue a career in the teaching profession and worked his way from a simple teacher to the Deputy Minister of Education of the State of Georgia up. He was also a supporter of Governor Ellis Arnall, who made him chief of his administration and Finance ( Revenue Commisioner ). In 1946 he was elected the first Lieutenant Governor of the state. The actual gubernatorial election won Eugene Talmadge, who was elected in total for the fourth time in this office ( the other official times were 1933-1937 and 1941-1943 ).

Constitutional crisis with three governors

On December 21, 1946 Talmadge died from a liver disease, even before he had been introduced in the Office of the 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, the son of the late governor, by the National Assembly. 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. But that is not enough. 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 supporters in Rage, they hated Arnall anyway because of its anti- Talmadge policies of the last four years. Among the followers of the different camps there was even tangible brawls. Meanwhile, Herman Talmadge had the governor buildings can be militarily occupied and declared himself the governor of Georgia, while Arnall and Thompson also claimed that office. Briefly Georgia in January 1947, 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.

According to the court decision now was Thompson new Governor of Georgia. But his tenure was not to last long. Already for 1948 elections had been invited by the court and Herman Talmadge used the time for his campaign, which he won with a clear majority.

Evening of life and death

In the following years, Thompson still approached in three other elections in each case against Herman Talmadge and defeated every time. 1950 and 1954 it was a matter of the governorship, and in 1956 for a seat in the U.S. Senate. He then retired to Valdosta, Georgia, where he worked as a realtor. There he died in 1980.