Samuel Ernest Vandiver Jr. (July 3, 1918 – February 21, 2005) was an American politician who was the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1959 to 1963. Early life and career Vandiver was born in Canon in Franklin County in northeastern Georgia. He was the only child of Vanna Bowers and Samuel Ernest Vandiver. His mother had two children from a previous marriage, which ended with the death of her first husband. Vandiver's father was a prominent businessman, farmer, and landowner in Franklin County. Vandiver attended public schools in Lavonia and the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia and the University of Georgia School of Law, both in Athens. After stateside service as an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, he was elected in 1946 as mayor of Lavonia in Franklin County. That same year he supported Eugene Talmadge's candidacy for governor and then Herman Talmadge's claim to the office after Eugene's death. In 1948, Talmadge appointed Vandiver to be the state's adjutant general. In 1954, Vandiver was elected lieutenant governor. He ran for governor in 1958 and promised to restore the state's image, which had been tarnished by scandals under Governor Marvin Griffin under whom he had served in the second position. Vandiver was overwhelmingly elected. He succeeded Griffin as both lieutenant governor and governor. Governor of Georgia As governor, Vandiver cleaned up the corruption and mismanagement associated with the Griffin administration. He had pledged to defend segregation, using the campaign motto, "No, not one," meaning not one black child in a white school. During the presidential election of 1960, Vandiver supported John F. Kennedy, but not fully. Vandiver favored "independent" electors. This led to the erosion of the Democratic party in the South, and southern resistance to the civil rights movement. In March 1960, Vandiver called "An Appeal for Human Rights", an article published in the Atlanta Constitution by black students at Spelman College, "an anti-American document" that "does not sound like it was written in this country". Vandiver worked behind the scenes with Kennedy and his brother Robert and ultimately played a role in obtaining the release of Martin Luther King Jr. from jail. King had been arrested during a sit-in at Rich's in Atlanta on October 19, 1960. Vandiver changed from his "No, not one" stance on segregation. Those urging him