Oct 3, 2002 · Melvin E. Thompson, the first person elected to the office of lieutenant governor of Georgia, served as the state’s governor in 1947-48. He is best remembered for his fight with Herman Talmadge over the governorship after the death …

Melvin Ernest Thompson (May 1, 1903 – October 3, 1980) was an American educator and politician from Millen in the U.S. state of Georgia. Generally known as M.E. Thompson during his political career, he served as the 70th Governor of Georgia from 1947 to 1948 and was elected as the first Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 1946.

Dec 1, 2020 · In March 1947, with Goodwin’s reports circulating and Melvin Thompson waging a legal battle, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Thompson, as the lt. governor at the time of Talmadge’s death, was the rightful successor to the governor’s office. But the fight was not over.

The state constitution did not specify who would assume the governorship in such a situation, so three men made claims to the governorship: Ellis Arnall, the outgoing governor; Melvin E. Thompson, the lieutenant governor-elect; and Herman Talmadge, Eugene Talmadge's son.

Aug 12, 2002 · When the General Assembly elected Talmadge’s son Herman Talmadge as governor, the newly elected lieutenant governor, Melvin E. Thompson, claimed the office of governor, and the outgoing governor, Ellis Arnall, refused to leave office. Eventually, the Georgia Supreme Court settled the controversy.

Melvin E. Thompson claimed a few triumphs during his brief tenure as governor: he increased state spending without new taxes, raised teachers' salaries, increased spending for education, expanded the roads and bridges building program, improved the state's park system, and purchased Jekyll Island.

But the anti-Talmadge Melvin Thompson had been elected to the newly created office of lieutenant governor, and he claimed to be governor as well. With no clear winner, outgoing governor Ellis Arnall—also anti-Talmadge–refused to vacate the office.

Born into poverty in southeast Georgia, Melvin Ernest Thompson—who always went by “M.E.”—was raised by his mother, who was widowed when he was just a toddler. Thompson worked his way through Emory University as a dishwasher and brush salesman and continued his studies at the University of Georgia.

Melvin Ernest Thompson (May 1, 1903 – October 3, 1980) was an American educator and politician from Millen in the U.S. state of Georgia. Generally known as M.E. Thompson during his political career, he served as the 70th Governor of Georgia from 1947 to 1948 and was elected as the first Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 1946.

MELVIN ERNEST THOMPSON, Georgia’s first lieutenant governor, was born in Millen, Georgia, on May 1, 1903. He attended Piedmont College, and graduated from Emory University in 1926.