Dr. Mel Steely - Georgia History

Posted

on Nov 21, 2014

Dr. Mel Steely spoke to the Carrollton Kiwanis Club on Friday, November 21, 2014 at Sunset Hills Country Club.

In December 1946, Eugene Talmadge, the governor-elect of Georgia, died. The state constitution did not specify who would assume the governorship in such a situation. The situation became known as the three governors controversy. Eventually a ruling by the Supreme Court of Georgia settled the matter.

There were three men who made claims to the governorship.

Eugene Talmadge's supporters had been unsure of his chances of surviving until he was sworn in, so they did some research into the state constitution and concluded that if he died, the Georgia General Assembly would choose between the second and third place finishers. The elder Talmadge ran unopposed, so they secretly arranged, as insurance, for some write-in votes for Eugene's son, Herman Talmadge, who had run his father's successful campaign for governor.

The lieutenant governor-elect, Melvin E. Thompson, said that he should be sworn in as governor in Eugene Talmadge's place, upon his swearing in as lieutenant governor.

Ellis Arnall, the outgoing governor, said that he should remain in office until his successor was properly sworn in.

Only in Georgia ? The only part of Dr. Steely's talk that was "suspect" was the statement that Roy Bogue served on the faculty of West Georgia during the controversy.