The Politics of Change in Georgia: A Political Biography of Ellis Arnall (Hardcover)

~ Harold Paulk Henderson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Henderson meticulously examines Arnall's rapid political rise and equally rapid fall. He is best in explaining the personal relationships between Arnall and other Georgia political figures that determined the state's political boundaries from the 1930s through the 1950s . . . By comprehensive use of Georgia newspapers and oral interviews and by diligent scouring of relevant but scattered manuscript collections, Henderson also has overcome a serious shortage of surviving Arnall papers to provide a welcome contribution to recent Southern political history."--Journal of American History

"Excellent . . . This is bare-knuckles political drama from a time when politics was Georgia's favorite game. And it is important; for it chronicles a time when our state underwent landmark changes that shaped what it would become."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Product Description

This biography of Ellis Arnall follows the life and political career of the former governor from his rural Georgia upbringing through his service as state representative, attorney general, and governor to his subsequent political exile.

Arnall assumed the governorship of Georgia in 1943, becoming the youngest person in the United States ever elected to that position. In his single term (1943-1947) he initiated a series of remarkable reforms that elevated Georgia above its Tobacco Road image and stood it alongside North Carolina, then the South's most progressive state. Unlike most of his colleagues, Arnall refused to "play it safe" in the state's political arena. Though still a segregationist and a traditionalist in many ways, Arnall had no patience for provincialism and cared deeply about Georgia and how it was viewed by the rest of the nation. Boldly confronting the demagoguery of his predecessor Eugene Talmadge, Arnall, who called himself "a democrat with a small 'd'," united the state's liberal and conservative factions to deliver the promise of the New South to all of Georgia's citizens: biracial voting, government reform, economic development, and an improved standard of living.

So sweeping and farsighted were Arnall's accomplishments that, to a great extent, the structure of Georgia's present-day government evolved under his guidance and has changed little since. In 1985, a Georgia Association of Historians survey ranked Arnall's leadership, responsiveness to issues, and national reputation the highest among governors who served from 1943-1983. Successful as it was, his career, begun a decade earlier in the state house of representatives, was cut short. Many Georgians felt that Arnall was too liberal and, worse, that he had catered to the national media, enhancing his own image by discussing the state's problems with outsiders. By Arnall's own estimation, his political career ended when he decided to abide by a 1945 federal court decision that invalidated Georgia's white-voters-only primary elections. Arnall left politics in 1947, returning briefly in 1966 for a spirited, but unsuccessful, primary bid for governor.

Written with Ellis Arnall's full cooperation and filled with fascinating details of the final days of Old South politics, this book recounts the political career of one of the region's most accomplished and energetic leaders. The Politics of Change in Georgia is based on the former governor's speeches and public writings, critical and supportive newspapers accounts, and interviews both with Arnall and with other prominent Georgians such as Herman E. Talmadge, S. Ernest Vandiver, Jr., Lester G. Maddox, Carl E. Sanders, Jr., James H. Gray, Sr., Howard H. Callaway, and Ivan Allen, Jr.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press (July 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820313068
• ISBN-13: 978-0820313061
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #689,568 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent political biography of Governor ahead of his time., December 29, 2002

By	Steven R. Harbin (Southeastern USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Henderson, a college professor at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has done a great service by writing this scholarly and readable chronicle of the late Georgia Governor Ellis Arnall's political career. Arnall was Governor of Georgia from 1943-47, a time which saw various political controversies and accomplishments. Henderson arranges the various events of Arnall's term in a thematic manner, dealing with Arnall's fight to obtain fairer freight rates for the south, the "three governor's controversy of 1947", and Arnall's refusal to fight against the Supreme Court decision that overturned Georgia's "whites-only" primary.

While stressing that Arnall was much more progressive and liberal than his political opponents, Henderson doesn't shy away from exposing Arnall's flaws and his support for much of the segregationist stance of the time. Of course, no Georgia politician in the time period could have been elected state-wide who didn't support segregation, and Arnall's failure to be as much of a rabid race baiter as Talmadge and others effectively killed off his political career after 1947. All of this is presented effectively in the book, along with Arnall's support of education, his friendship with Henry Wallace, and his post gubernatorial career as a businessman, attorney, author, speaker, and his failed 1966 campaign for governor.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in southern history, and Georgia history in particular. As I stated earlier, Professor Henderson has penned a well written and informative biography of this important Georgia politician.

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great bio from Hal Henderson, October 13, 2009

By	Richard E. Segers (Duluth, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hal Henderson has done an outstanding job documenting the political history of mid-20th century Georgia. This well written book is thoroughly researched and very readable. I have read his other books and can without hesitation suggest them to anyone with an interest in political history in the deep south and Georgia in particular.