One of the more embarrassing episodes in Georgia’s history was the 1946 governor’s race, also known as the “Three Governors Controversy.” This episode made Georgia a nationwide laughing stock. More importantly, this election led to a series of segregationist governors who ended some of the progressive reforms made by Governor Ellis Arnall.
As the name implies, after the 1946 election three men claimed the governor’s office. Initially, Eugene Talmadge was elected for his fourth term. However, he died before taking office. Many of Eugene Talmadge’s supporters believed that, due to his poor health, he may die before he could be sworn in as governor.
They discovered that, based on past Georgia law, the General Assembly would have the power to select the second or third leading vote-getter if the governor-elect died before taking office. With this in mind, many secretly wrote in Herman Talmadge for governor.
However, the new Georgia Constitution stated that the lieutenant governor would take office if the governor died. In the 1946 election, Melvin Thompson, who was a member of the anti-Talmadge faction of the Democratic Party, was elected lieutenant governor and claimed the office for himself upon Talmadge’s death. Nonetheless, in January of 1947, the General Assembly selected Herman Talmadge as governor.
During the same time, the outgoing governor, Ellis Arnall, refused to relinquish the office until the issue was resolved as he believed that the General Assembly did not have the authority to elect a governor. Due to Arnall’s affiliation with the anti-Talmadge Democrats, physical altercations resulted with some of Talmadge’s followers. Talmadge eventually had state troopers escort Arnall out of the State Capitol and changed the locks of the governor’s office. Arnall, in turn, refused to give up the governor’s seal and set up a second “governor’s office” in a different location of the State Capitol.
Arnall finally gave up his claim to the governorship and supported Thompson. In the end, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Thompson was the rightful governor and Talmadge left the governor’s office within two hours of the ruling. A special election was called in 1948 and Herman Talmadge narrowly defeated Thompson.
Note: Eugene Talmadge ran on a platform to reinstate the white primary and was elected for a fourth term.
