Herman E. Talmadge wire recordings, 1948-1951

Extent:

21 sound_recording(s)

Scope and content:

In November 1946, Georgians elected Eugene Talmadge in the Democratic Primary to succeed progressive up-and-comer Ellis Arnall as governor. But Talmadge was in poor health and those among his inner circle feared he might not live to be sworn into office. Capitalizing on a loophole in the state constitution, that in the case of a governor-elect's death the General Assembly was empowered to choose a successor from runner-up candidates, the Talmadge machine ran Eugene's son Herman as a write-in candidate in the general election. With no Republican on the ballot, and with the last-second discovery of additional write-in votes from his home county, the younger Talmadge placed second with just 675 votes. Eugene Talmadge died on December 21, 1946. Legislators prepared to replace the Governor-elect with his son just as another claimant stepped forward: M.E. Thompson, the new lieutenant governor. Thompson felt he should assume the governorship, but as lieutenant governor was a new state office, the constitution made no such provision. The Assembly voted to elect Herman Talmadge, and Thompson filed suit. Meanwhile, Ellis Arnall refused to leave office until a successor was legitimized. After two months of tumult the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of Thompson, providing that a special election be held in 1948 to fill the rest of the term. The Talmadge wire recordings document the aftermath of the "Three Governors Controversy," when M.E. Thompson and Herman Talmadge ran against each other for governor in 1948 and 1950.

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