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Defeat Without Herman. In his campaign for the Democratic senatorial nomination, Gene Talmadge wooed them 5,000 at a time, drawing a crowd from a dozen counties. He spread fried fish, followed the mullet with gospel singers, band music and flaming oratory. Traveling with him as campaign manager: Herman, The younger Talmadge set speaking schedules, wrote speeches, handled publicity and advertising. But once again the careful Talmadge plans were upset by an event beyond their control. Angry with Walter George for opposing his attempt to pack the Supreme Court, Franklin Roosevelt marched into Georgia, demanded that the voters throw George out. Resenting the intrusion even by Frequent Visitor Roosevelt (Warm Springs), the voters put Walter George right back in office. Gene went back to his law practice, settled for another term as governor in 1941.
In 1941 young Herman joined the Navy, left for duty aboard an evacuation transport in the South Pacific. While Ensign Talmadge was at sea, his father lost the governorship to Reformer Ellis Arnall, confided sadly to friends: "Herman's being away made the difference between my being elected and losing." War over, Herman hurried home to provide the difference. Father and son pitched into yet another gubernatorial campaign, this one against more liberal Jimmy Carmichael.
Campaign Tactics. Casting about for a new appeal, Herman drew up Gene's first formal platform in 20 years of campaigning. Gene, reading in the newspapers about his planks for better schools, more roads and increased welfare benefits, protested: "Son, you're taking me pretty fast ain't you?" Replied Herman: "Poppa I got to take you fast if we're going to win this one." They won it, but Gene was never inaugurated. Taken ill with hemolytic jaundice and cirrhosis of the liver, he died Dec. 21, 1946. Herman served his abortive 67 days, left the capital under Supreme Court edict, set about mustering support for the 1948 election and evening up old scores.
Stumping Georgia without his father, Herman attacked Incumbent Melvm Thompson for vetoing a white-primary bill that Herman himself had introduced. His newspaper, The Statesman (Editor: The People. Associate Editor: Herman Talmadge), lashed Thompson for receiving a Negro at the executive mansion. Part of the time he campaigned on crutches-he had cracked up his automobile, was pulled out of the wreckage in company with a blonde ex-secretary. (Official explanation: they were returning from a political meeting.) Herman won by 45,000 votes and a 3-1 unit-vote majority at 35 became Georgia's 75th governor.* Commented a sad voter: "Pore ole Georgia—first Sherman, then Herman."
Herman leaned heavily on his father's advisers, pushed through haphazard legislation, e.g., a re-registration bill aimed at disenfranchising Negro voters, which was repealed after Herman discovered Negroes were re-registering but his county white voters were not. Shortly before the 1950 election, in which he went after a full four-year term, Herman's prestige was at an alltime low, but he squeaked to victory by 8,000 votes and a 295-115 unit count the poorest showing of his career.