Skip to main content

Oral history interview with Herman Talmadge, 1986 April 28

View
@ University of West Georgia. Special Collections

Description

Herman Eugene Talmadge (1913-2002), son of former governor Eugene Talmadge, was born on August 9, 1913 in the small Telfair County town of McRae, Georgia. He earned his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1936, and practiced law for several years before joining the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he saw extensive combat in the South Pacific. In 1946, Talmadge ran his father's successful Democratic race for governor, though the elder Talmadge died before he could take office. The state legislature elected Herman to take his father's place, but the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled the move unconstitutional.Talmadge vacated the governor's mansion, but came back to win a special election in 1948, and a full four years as governor in 1950. As was common at the time, he was an ardent segregationist, but implemented the first state sales tax as a way to improve public schools. In 1956, Talmadge was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he concentrated on agricultural issues and sponsored the creation of a food-stamp program. In 1980, he lost his seat to Republican Mack Mattingly. Talmadge retired to his home in Hampton, Georgia where he died on March 21, 2002.; Interviewed by Dr. Mel Steely at West Georgia College on April 28, 1986.; In this interview, Senator Talmadge recalls the era of the Civil Rights movement as it took place in the nation as well as in the state of Georgia. He says that as a college student, he was unaware of...
Type:
Video
Contributors:
Steely, MelWagner, DonUniversity of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
View Original At:

Record Contributed By

University of West Georgia. Special Collections

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia