Portal:Georgia (U.S. state)/Selected article/23

In December 1946, Eugene Talmadge, the governor-elect of Georgia, died. The state constitution did not specify who would assume the governorship in such a situation. The situation became known as the Three Governors controversy. There were three men who made claims to the governorship:

• Herman Talmadge, who had run his father's successful campaign for governor.
• The lieutenant governor-elect, Melvin E. Thompson, said that he should be sworn in as governor in Eugene Talmadge's place, upon his swearing-in as lieutenant governor.
• Ellis Arnall, the outgoing governor, said that he should remain in office until his successor was properly sworn in.

The state's highest court, the Supreme Court of Georgia, ruled in March 1947 that the legislature had violated the state constitution by electing Herman Talmadge governor and that Lt. Governor Melvin E. Thompson should serve as governor until the next general election in November 1948. The court directed that in November 1948 there would be a special election at which voters would choose someone to complete Eugene Talmadage's term.

Herman Talmadge immediately gave in to the court decision, ending the controversy. He ran for governor in 1948, overwhelmingly defeating Governor Thompson for the Democratic nomination and then easily winning the November special election. He served the final 26 months of the term for which his father had been elected.