Three Governors Controversy

by Bullock, Charles S., III

The death of Georgia governor-elect Eugene Talmadge in late 1946 launched a constitutional crisis that ranks as one of the most unusual political events in U. S. history. The state had three active governors at once, each declaring that he was the true elected official: Herman Talmadge was chosen by the Georgia General Assembly to replace his father, Eugene; Melvin Thompson argued that he had the strongest claim by virtue of being the newly elected lieutenant governor; and Ellis Arnall, the outgoing governor, refused to step down until it was clearer who his successor would be. This is the...