- Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Title:
- Oral history interview with Herman Talmadge, 1985 September 4
- Creator:
- Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002
- Contributor to Resource:
- Steely, Mel
University of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program - Publisher:
- Carrollton, Ga. : University of West Georgia Special Collections in association with the Digital Library of Georgia
- Date of Original:
- 1985-09-04
- Subject:
- Georgia--Politics and government--1865-1950
Georgia--Politics and government--1951-
Governors--Georgia--Interviews
Legislators--Georgia--Interviews
University of Georgia. School of Law--Alumni and alumnae--Interviews
Georgia. State Highway Dept.
Georgia--Officials and employees--Selection and appointment
Georgia. Office of the Governor--Officials and employees--Selection and appointment
University System of Georgia
Agriculture--Georgia
Brown versus Board of Education of Topeka
Educational change--Georgia
Industrialization--Georgia--History
Racism--Georgia--History
Roads--Design and construction
Sales Tax--Georgia--History
White supremacy movements--Georgia--History
Henry Grady Hotel (Atlanta, Ga.)
New Deal, 1933-1939 - People:
- Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002--Interviews
Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002
Talmadge, Eugene, 1884-1946
Arnall, Ellis Gibbs, 1907-1992
Bentley, James L.
Callaway, Howard H. (Howard Hollis), 1927-2014
Flynt, John James, 1914-2007
Griffin, Marvin, 1907-1982
Harris, Roy Vincent, 1895-1985
Thompson, M. E. (Melvin Ernest), 1903-1980
Maddox, Lester, 1915-2003
Odum, Benton
Redwine, Charlie
Russell, Richard B. (Richard Brevard), 1897-1971
Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972
Vandiver, S. Ernest (Samuel Ernest), 1918-2005
Walker, Clifford, 1877-
Geer, Peter Zack - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
moving images - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- 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 in Senator Talmadge's Office on September 4, 1985.; Governor Talmadge beings the interview by discussing the period in which there were two governors of Georgia in 1947. He details how he won the governorship, made a short inaugural speech, but Governor Ellis Arnall would not surrender the office so Talmadge had him escorted out and proceeded to change the locks on the Governor's office. He talks about how he went about choosing people to appoint to his committees, most of which he states were political and/or personal friends. He answers questions regarding his efforts to maintain white supremacy in Georgia, as well as segregation. He then goes into the significance of the Henry Grady hotel (now called the Peachtree Plaza) as the political headquarters in Atlanta, and follows that by describing some of his early legislative decisions regarding sales taxes and the State budget, including his use of Federal funds for hospitals and highway improvements. Talmadge spends a large portion of the interview describing his political relationship with his father.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:uwg_phc_talmadge1
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/uwg/phc/do:talmadge1
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [interview title], Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, University of West Georgia
- Extent:
- 1 interview (circa 101 mins.)
- Original Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, State University of West Georgia
- Holding Institution:
- University of West Georgia. Special Collections
- Rights: