Ellis Arnall

Ellis Arnall (born March 20, 1907 in Newnan , Georgia , † December 13, 1992 ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Georgia.

Youth and political advancement

Ellis Arnall studied law at the University of Georgia and graduated in 1931. In 1932 he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. In 1938 he was appointed Attorney General of Georgia by Governor Eurith Rivers . In 1942 he ran against the then governor Eugene Talmadge . With the latter in political trouble over a self-inflicted conflict over the Dean of the University of Georgia, Arnall found it easy to win the election.

Georgia Governor

Ellis Arnall lowered the national debt and the voting age. At the same time he worked out a constitutional reform. The new constitution extended the governor's term of office from two to four years, but excluded direct re-election. In addition, the office of vice governor was newly created. His attempt to get permission to run again despite the new constitution failed in parliament. When he did not speak out clearly against a court order prohibiting the Democrats from nominating only white candidates, he was considered a "racial traitor" by the conservatives in what was then Georgia. Ex-Governor Talmadge was the spokesman for this movement and took advantage of the mood to win the 1946 elections. However, these elections resulted in a unique chaos in the history of Georgia.

Constitutional crisis with three governors

On December 21, 1946, Talmadge died of liver disease before he was appointed governor. The result was one of the most bizarre situations in all of American history. The Georgia constitution had only recently created the office of lieutenant governor . This position should be filled for the first time with the new term of office. Melvin Thompson , an opponent of Talmadge, had been elected Georgia's first lieutenant governor in the 1946 elections. According to the constitution, the lieutenant governor should exercise the office of governor if the governor died during his tenure or left office for other reasons. Now Eugene Talmadge was not in office at the time of his death and the discussion about the successor flared up between three groups. First, Thompson claimed office as the elected lieutenant governor. The Talmadge supporters were firmly against this solution. They proposed the election of Herman Talmadge , son of the late governor, by the National Assembly. Eventually the congregation accepted this proposal and on January 15, 1947, elected Herman Talmadge as the new governor. Thompson then sued the Georgia Supreme Court.

The outgoing Governor Arnall now saw a problem. Not knowing exactly who his successor was, he refused to hand over the office. This enraged the Talmadge followers; they hated Arnall anyway for his policies over the past four years. There were even serious fights among the supporters of the various camps. In the meantime, Herman Talmadge had occupied the governor's house and declared himself governor of Georgia, while Arnall and Thompson also claimed that office. For a short time in January 1947, Georgia had three governors at the same time. Eventually Arnall gave up and recognized Thompson as the new governor. So there were still two opponents, Thompson and Herman Talmadge, who plunged the state into political chaos for another two months. In March 1947, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in Thompson's favor. He was to serve as governor until new elections in 1948 should solve the problem. Herman Talmadge gave up surprisingly quickly and prepared for the new elections, which he would win in 1948.

Old age and death

After the spectacular end of his tenure, Arnall worked as a lawyer and businessman in Atlanta. In 1966 he ran for the last time for governor of Georgia. After this failure, he withdrew from politics.

literature

James F. Cook: The Governors of Georgia, 1754-2004. 3rd edition, revised and expanded. Mercer University Press, Macon GA 2005, ISBN 0-86554-954-0 .
Harold Paul Henderson: Ellis Arnall and the Politics of Progress. In: Harold P. Henderson, Gary L. Roberts (Eds.): Georgia Governors in an Age of Change. From Ellis Arnall to George Busbee. University of Georgia Press, Athens GA et al. 1988, ISBN 0-8203-1004-2 .
Harold Paul Henderson: The Politics of Change in Georgia. A Political Biography of Ellis Arnall. University of Georgia Press, Athens GA et al. 1991, ISBN 0-8203-1306-8 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Arnall, Ellis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	March 20, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH	Newnan , Georgia
DATE OF DEATH	December 13, 1992