- Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Title:
- Oral history interview with Herman Talmadge, 1985 December 16
- Creator:
- Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002
- Contributor to Resource:
- Steely, Mel
Wagner, Don
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:
- 1985-12-16
- 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
United States. Navy
Midshipmen--United States--Interviews
Kamikaze pilots
World War, 1939-1945--Veterans--Interviews
Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941
Guadalcanal, Battle of, Solomon Islands, 1942-1943
World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Japan--Okinawa Island
Hiroshima-shi (Japan)--History--Bombardment, 1945 - People:
- Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002--Interviews
Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969
Lance, Bert, 1931-2013
MacArthur, Douglas, 1880-1964
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945
Taft, Robert, 1917-1993 - 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.; This interview took place at the University of West Georgia with Mel Steely and Don Wagner on December 16, 1985.; This session is focused on Talmdage's reflections on his time in the Navy and during World War II. He discusses his experiences in the Navy and making his way through the war in the Pacific, which included spending time in Guadalcanal and serving as a midshipman. He gives accounts of his relationships with others, and his reactions to certain events in the War while he was overseas. He talks about his involvement in the assault on Okinawa. In regards to Kamikaze pilots, Talmadge states that the difference between them and Muslim extremists is that the Japanese were dying for their country rather than for a cause. He talks about where he was when he heard about the dropping of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima, as well. He concludes the interview by stating that Americans learned two key things by the end of World War II: that you cannot fight an ocean-based war without aircraft carriers, and you can't fight any war without adequate plane coverage.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:uwg_phc_talmadge19851216
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/uwg/phc/do:talmadge19851216
- 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:
- 2 interviews (circa 62 mins.; circa 55 mins.); 1 transcript
- 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:
-
