Eugene Talmadge

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Eugene Talmadge (September 23, 1884–December 21, 1946) was an American politician who served as governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1933 to 1937 and again from 1941 to 1943. Elected to another term in 1946, he died before taking office.

Talmadge was born in Forsyth, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia and graduated from the University's law school. Eugene held some offices in Telfair County, Georgia. He was unsuccessful twice when running for the Georgia state legislature, but was elected State Agriculture commissioner in 1926 and was re-elected twice. Talmadge used the newspaper of his department to give advice to farmers and talk about his political views. He was criticized by the State Senate for improperly spending funds and using department funds to make trips to the Kentucky Derby.

In 1932, Governor Richard B. Russell, Jr. sought a seat in the United States Senate. Talmadge ran for Governor and won a majority of the county unit votes in the Primary; he successfully ran for re-election in 1934. When officials refused to do what he wanted, he was known to take actions which were called 'dictatorial' by his critics, such as issuing executive orders.

Talmadge was a critic of President Roosevelt. Unable to run for re-election in 1936, Talmadge chose to challenge Senator Russell in the primary, but Russell defeated Talmadge by a wide margin. Talmadge was unsuccessful in his challenge to Senator Walter George in 1938.

Talmadge returned to the Governor's office in 1940. During his third term, he began to urge that the state university board of regents not rehire Walter Cocking, a figure at the University of Georgia. After the board voted to rehire him, Talmadge had three of its members removed and replaced with his supporters. They then dismissed Cocking. This incident caused the Southern Association of Colleges to remove accreditation from the Georgia state universities, and it contributed to Talmadge's defeat by Ellis Arnall in 1942.

During Arnall's term, the state legislature lengthened his term to four years and prohibited him from seeking re-election in 1946. Talmadge ran for Governor and used the Supreme Court's Smith v. Allwright decision as his main issue. Talmadge promised that if he were to be elected, he would restore the 'White Primary'.

Talmadge lost the popular vote to James V. Carmichael but won a majority of the 'county unit votes'. However, he died in December 1946, before he could be sworn in for his fourth term; his death precipitated the 1947 "three governors" controversy between Arnall, Melvin E. Thompson and Talmadge's son Herman.

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