- Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Title:
- Oral history interview with Herman Talmadge, 1986 April 28
- Creator:
- Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002
- Contributor to Resource:
- Steely, Mel
Wagner, Don
University of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program - Publisher:
- Carrollton, Ga. : University of West Georgia Special Collections in association with the Digital Library of Georgia
- Date of Original:
- 1986-04-28
- Subject:
- Georgia--Politics and government--1865-1950
Georgia--Politics and government--1951-
Governors--Georgia--Interviews
Legislators--Georgia--Interviews
Morris Brown College
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka
United States.--Civil Rights Act of 1964
Press and politics--Georgia--History
College integration--Georgia--Athens
University of Georgia--History
Segregation--Georgia--Public opinion
World War, 1939-1945--Veterans--Interviews
Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
Race relations--Public opinion - People:
- Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002--Interviews
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Akerman, Robert
Cook, Eugene, 1904-
Murphy, B.D.
Parks, Rosa, 1913-2005
Plessy, Homer Adolph--Trials, litigation, etc.
Russell, Richard B. (Richard Brevard), 1897-1971
Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972
Vandiver, S. Ernest (Samuel Ernest), 1918-2005
Wallace, George C. (George Corley), 1919-1998
Watson, Thomas E. (Thomas Edward), 1856-1922 - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
moving images - Type:
- MovingImage
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- Herman Eugene Talmadge (1913-2002), son of former governor Eugene Talmadge, was born on August 9, 1913 in the small Telfair County town of McRae, Georgia. He earned his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1936, and practiced law for several years before joining the U.S. Navy during World War II, where he saw extensive combat in the South Pacific. In 1946, Talmadge ran his father's successful Democratic race for governor, though the elder Talmadge died before he could take office. The state legislature elected Herman to take his father's place, but the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled the move unconstitutional.Talmadge vacated the governor's mansion, but came back to win a special election in 1948, and a full four years as governor in 1950. As was common at the time, he was an ardent segregationist, but implemented the first state sales tax as a way to improve public schools. In 1956, Talmadge was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he concentrated on agricultural issues and sponsored the creation of a food-stamp program. In 1980, he lost his seat to Republican Mack Mattingly. Talmadge retired to his home in Hampton, Georgia where he died on March 21, 2002.; Interviewed by Dr. Mel Steely at West Georgia College on April 28, 1986.; In this interview, Senator Talmadge recalls the era of the Civil Rights movement as it took place in the nation as well as in the state of Georgia. He says that as a college student, he was unaware of racial tension because segregation was the expected pattern. He discusses his interactions with other races while he served in World War II, as well as how his opinions have changed over the years. Talmadge answers questions about the book he published and his original views on the NAACP as Communists and terrorists. The second half of the interview talks about press and their view on the acts done by Richard Russell. He discusses why he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, citing it as unconstitutional. He says that he finds it difficult to reflect on his decisions in that time period because he does not know if he would have done anything differently. Talmadge concludes the interview by talking about his honorary degree from Morris Brown and his views on why public opinion on integration changed over time.
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:uwg_phc_talmadge19860428
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/uwg/phc/do:talmadge19860428
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [interview title], Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, University of West Georgia
- Extent:
- 2 interviews (circa 1 hour; circa 33 mins.); 1 transcript
- Original Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, State University of West Georgia
- Contributing Institution:
- University of West Georgia. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
Oral history interview with Herman Talmadge, 1986 April 28
