Herman Talmadge

Senator from Georgia; born on a farm near McRae, Telfair County, Ga., August 9, 1913; attended the public schools in McRae; received a law degree from the University of Georgia at Athens in 1936; admitted to the bar in 1936 and commenced the practice of law in Atlanta, Ga.; volunteered for service in the United States Navy in 1941; saw extensive action in the Pacific theater, attained rank of lieutenant commander and was discharged in November 1945; upon the death of his father, Governor-elect Eugene Talmadge, was elected to the governorship by the State legislature in 1947; served sixty-seven days, then vacated the office due to a decision of the State supreme court; elected in September 1948 to fill the unexpired term; reelected in 1950 and served until January 1955; farmer; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1956; reelected in 1962, 1968 and 1974 and served from January 3, 1957, to January 3, 1981; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1980; denounced by the Senate in 1979 for financial misconduct; chairman, Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (Ninety-second through Ninety-fifth Congresses), Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (Ninety-fifth and Ninety-sixth Congresses); resumed the practice of law; was a resident of Hampton, Ga., until his death on March 21, 2002; buried on family farm near Hampton, Ga.