years have concluded the violently racist tone of his 1946 campaign may have been indirectly responsible for the violence that came at Moore's Ford. It's fair to say he's one of the most virulently racist governors the state has ever had." In 1946, Talmadge won Walton County by only 200 votes. Talmadge lost the popular vote in the Democratic primary to James V. Carmichael but won a majority of the "county unit votes". He died in December 1946, before he could be sworn in for his fourth term. The cause of death was hepatitis complicated with the effects of liver cirrhosis caused by his heavy drinking. Talmadge's coffin, while lying in state at the Georgia capital, was decorated with a wreath reading KKKK (Knights of the Ku Klux Klan), an organization that Talmadge had at least been friendly with. His 1946 death right before his inauguration precipitated the 1947 "three governors controversy" among Arnall, Melvin E. Thompson, and Talmadge's son Herman. While the general assembly elected his son, Herman Talmadge to take his father's place, the newly elected lieutenant governor Melvin E. Thompson claimed his right to the governor's office, and also the outgoing governor Ellis Arnall refused to leave office. Following the court's decision, Herman Talmadge ceded the office of governor to Thompson, ending the controversy. This controversy damaged Georgia's national reputation. Awards and legacy In 1941, Talmadge received an honorary degree in Doctor of Laws from Oglethorpe University. In 1949, a statue honoring Talmadge was unveiled on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol. The Talmadge Memorial Bridge (1953/1991) in Savannah, Georgia, is named after him. It connects downtown Savannah, Georgia with the Carolina Low Country via the Savannah River. In the early 21st century, renaming of the bridge has been suggested because of Talmadge's history as a white supremacist. Representation in popular culture The "Cocking affair" was the subject of Michael Braz's opera, A Scholar Under Siege, composed for the centenary of Georgia Southern University and premiered in 2007. See also List of governors of Georgia References Notes Bibliography Further reading Lesseig, Corey T. "Talmadge, Eugene" in American National Biography Online (2000) Logue, Cal McLeod. Eugene Talmadge: rhetoric and response 19 . . External links Three Governors Site |- |- |- |- |- 1884 births 1946 deaths 20th-century American politicians American segregationists American white supremacists Democratic Party governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Elected officials who died without