Melvin E. Thompson

Melvin Ernest Thompson (born May 1, 1903 in Millen, Georgia , † October 3, 1980 in Valdosta , Georgia) was an American politician and governor of Georgia.

Youth and political advancement

He attended Emory University until 1926 and then did his master's degree from the University of Georgia in 1935 . He decided to pursue a career in education and worked his way up from simple teacher to assistant secretary of education for the state of Georgia. He was also a supporter of Governor Ellis Arnall , who made him head of his administration and finance minister (Revenue commisioner). In 1946 he was elected the state's first lieutenant governor . The actual gubernatorial election was won by Eugene Talmadge , who was elected for the fourth time (the other terms were from 1933 to 1937 and 1941 to 1943).

Constitutional crisis with three governors

On December 21, 1946, Talmadge died of liver disease before he was appointed governor. As a result, there was one of the most bizarre situations in 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 strongly 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. But that's not all. The outgoing Governor Ellis Arnall now saw a problem. Not knowing exactly who his successor was, he refused to hand over the office. That enraged the Talmadge supporters, who hated Arnall anyway for his Talmadge hostile policies of 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 building 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.

According to the court order, Thompson was the new governor of Georgia. His term of office should not last long. New elections had already been announced by the court for 1948 and Herman Talmadge used the time for his election campaign, which he also won with a clear majority.

Old age and death

In the following years Thompson stood in three other elections each against Herman Talmadge and lost each time. In 1950 and 1954 it was about the office of governor and in 1956 about a seat in the US Senate . He then retired to Valdosta, Georgia, where he worked as a real estate agent. He died there in 1980.

literature

• James F. Cook: The Governors of Georgia, 1754-2004. 3rd edition, Mercer University Press, Macon (Georgia) 2005.
• Harold Paul Henderson: ME Thompson and the Politics of Succession. In: Harold P. Henderson and Gary L. Roberts (Eds.): Georgia Governors in an Age of Change: From Ellis Arnall to George Busbee. University of Georgia Press, Athens 1988.

Web links

• The New Georgia Encyclopedia (History of the State of Georgia in Biographies )
• Melvin Thompson on the National Governors Association (English)
• Melvin E. Thompson in the database of Find a Grave (English)