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275:, ruled in March 1947 that Eugene Talmadge's death did not change the fact that a majority of votes had been cast for him, and the General Assembly had violated the constitution by resolving there was no majority. It defined the General Assembly's role in certification as purely ministerial, and held that the constitution did not allow it any discretion in the process, including considering the death of a candidate.
47:
54:
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Herman
Talmadge then ran in the Democratic special primary, defeating Governor Thompson for the Democratic nomination with 51.8% of the votes to Thompson's 45.1%. Talmadge went on to win the general election with 97.51% of the vote. He served the final 26 months (November 1948 to January 1951) of the
253:
After this, the
General Assembly then declined to certify Eugene Talmadge as the winner, instead resolving that "no person had a majority of the whole number of votes" because of his death. It immediately proceeded to the contingent election between the top two living candidates. Carmichael declined
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required a candidate receive a majority of votes to be elected governor; if no one had a majority, the
General Assembly was to hold a contingent election between the top two candidates "who shall be in life, and shall not decline an election". When Eugene Talmadge's health issues became evident in
278:
Ironically, the court then resolved the initial controversy of who should have been governor after certification in favor of Ellis Arnall; since the constitution defined the gubernatorial term as four years but stipulated it does not expire until a successor is "chosen and qualified", and a dead
282:
Following the court's decision, Herman
Talmadge ceded the office of governor to Thompson, ending the controversy. In any case of succession to the office of governor, the constitution required a special election to complete the gubernatorial term "at the next general election for members of the
279:
person is not qualified, the court held Arnall should have continued serving as governor. However, he had voluntarily resigned any claim to the office to make way for
Thompson. At that point, the court held, power devolved on the duly elected lieutenant governor.
257:
Both Arnall and
Thompson refused to accept the vote by the General Assembly. Thompson began legal proceedings, appealing to the Supreme Court of Georgia. Arnall physically refused to leave, so on January 15, 1947, both Talmadge and Arnall sat in the
262:
claiming to be the governor. The next day, Talmadge took control of the governor's office and arranged to have the locks changed. On
January 18, Arnall formally resigned any claim to the office in favor of Thompson.
654:
237:
The
General Assembly met to certify the 1946 election on January 14, 1947. When the returns were first opened and counted, Republican write-in Talmadge Bowers was second, with Democratic primary challenger
634:
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third and Herman
Talmadge fourth. However, after the first canvass, additional write-in votes were then discovered for Herman Talmadge from his home county of
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to choose between the second- and third-placed candidates in case of his death, and thus prepared by organizing enough
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to participate; Talmadge opponents voted "present" out of protest, and
Talmadge won the contingent election 181–87.
159:, the governor-elect of Georgia, died before taking office. The state constitution did not specify who would assume
215:
493:
The Three Governors Controversy: Skullduggery, Machinations, and the Decline of Georgia's Progressive Politics
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Some of the People Who Ate My Barbecue Didn't Vote for Me: The Life of Georgia Governor Marvin Griffin
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term for which his father had been elected, and was elected for a further full term in November 1950.
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Eugene Talmadge died on December 21, 1946, after the general election but before his swearing-in.
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This Georgia Rising: Education, Civil Rights, and the Politics of Change in Georgia in the 1940s
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in his wheelchair so no official business could be conducted until the controversy was settled.
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143:(left) being denied entry to the governor's Capitol office during the controversy
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the fall of 1946, his supporters believed this provision would require the
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519:
The Politics of Change in Georgia: A Political Biography of Ellis Arnall
491:
Bullock, Charles S.; Gaddie, Ronald Keith; Buchanan, Scott E. (2015).
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settled the matter in favor of Thompson. Georgia's Secretary of State
509:. Atlanta, GA: State of Georgia, Department of Archives and History.
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in such a situation, so three men made claims to the governorship:
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135:
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Compiled by Mrs. J.E. Hays, State Historian and Director (1950).
250:– and he ended up second in what became the official results.
18:
Political crisis in the U.S. state of Georgia in 1946-47
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175:, Eugene Talmadge's son. Eventually a ruling by the
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Coups d'état and coup attempts in the United States
469:"GA Governor: Special Election Race, Nov 02, 1948"
597:Talmadge: A Political Legacy, a Politician's Life
348:
8:
151:was a political crisis in the U.S. state of
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635:Political history of Georgia (U.S. state)
560:. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.
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155:from 1946 to 1947. On December 21, 1946,
565:Kytle, Calvin; Mackay, James A. (1998).
582:. Vol. 116, no. 4. p. 12
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372:
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22:Three governors controversy: 1946-1947
569:. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
532:. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.
521:. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
503:Georgia's Official Register, 1945-1950
495:. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
171:, the lieutenant governor-elect; and
7:
443:"Governorship Feud Rages in Georgia"
429:Bullock, Gaddie & Buchanan 2015
337:Bullock, Gaddie & Buchanan 2015
197:1946 Georgia gubernatorial election
14:
576:"How It Happened Down in Georgia"
441:Herlithy, Ed (January 20, 1947).
615:Governor of Georgia (U.S. state)
283:General Assembly", which was in
98:Elected by the General Assembly
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45:
38:
271:The state's highest court, the
620:Georgia (U.S. state) elections
321:"1945 Constitution of Georgia"
205:Governor-elect Eugene Talmadge
110:Being the lieutenant governor
1:
387:"The 3 governors controversy"
385:Hackle, Al (August 5, 2016).
104:Being the incumbent governor
630:1947 in Georgia (U.S. state)
625:1946 in Georgia (U.S. state)
595:Talmadge, Herman E. (1987).
301:List of governors of Georgia
556:Buchanan, Scott E. (2011).
149:three governors controversy
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645:1947 in American politics
640:1946 in American politics
526:Novotny, Patrick (2007).
246:– probably the result of
167:, the outgoing governor;
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273:Supreme Court of Georgia
222:votes to ensure his son
177:Supreme Court of Georgia
515:Henderson, Harold Paulk
130:Declared sole governor
574:McGill, Ralph (1947).
206:
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650:Constitutional crises
599:. Atlanta: Peachtree.
417:41 S.E.2d 883
349:Georgia Register 1950
260:Georgia State Capitol
204:
139:
419: (Ga. 1947).
412:Thompson v. Talmadge
240:James V. Carmichael
23:
447:Universal Newsreel
339:, p. 134-135.
233:Legislative action
211:state constitution
207:
169:Melvin E. Thompson
145:
21:
567:Who Runs Georgia?
539:978-0-88146-088-9
391:Statesboro Herald
226:would take part.
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267:Judicial action
248:electoral fraud
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173:Herman Talmadge
157:Eugene Talmadge
72:Melvin Thompson
62:Herman Talmadge
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361:Henderson 1991
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473:Our Campaigns
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285:November 1948
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584:. Retrieved
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451:. Retrieved
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449:. 3:04–6:10
181:Ben Fortson
609:Categories
307:References
185:state seal
89:Democratic
84:Democratic
79:Democratic
209:The 1945
124:Resigned
118:Resigned
586:June 21,
517:(1991).
295:See also
220:write-in
191:Election
183:hid the
128:Outcome:
122:Outcome:
116:Outcome:
484:Sources
244:Telfair
153:Georgia
536:
415:,
108:Claim:
102:Claim:
96:Claim:
33:Claim
30:Claim
27:Claim
507:(PDF)
324:(PDF)
588:2016
534:ISBN
455:2012
147:The
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399:^
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