Coughlin, David

Herman E. Talmadge was born on August 9, 1913, on a farm near McRae, Georgia, to Eugene and Mattie Talmadge. Herman's first involvement in politics was as his father's campaign manager in 1946. Running for an unprecedented fourth term as governor of Georgia, Eugene Talmadge was elected in November 1946, but was in failing health. As a precaution, a small group of Talmadge supporters started a write-in campaign for Herman Talmadge during the general election. When the elder Talmadge died in December 1946, before being sworn in as governor, the Georgia General Assembly elected his son governor by a vote of 161 to 87. The ensuing activities became known as the "three governors controversy" whereby the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that M. E. Thompson would serve as governor until a special election in September 1948. Herman won the special election and after serving his term as governor was re-elected in 1950, serving until January 1955.

In November 1956, Talmadge was elected to the U. S. Senate where he immediately joined the other Southern Democrats in their fight against civil rights legislation. In 1957, he won a seat on the Agriculture Committee and by 1971, he had become chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Some of his major accomplishments in this area included guiding passage of a series of acts, which established price support programs for peanuts, cotton, wheat, and other commodities. Serving twenty-four years in the United States Senate. Talmadge ranked fifth in seniority among Senate Democrats and seventh overall by the time he left office. He died on March 21, 2002.

The Buford Dam, located in the city of Buford in Gwinnett County, Georgia, is situated on the Chattahoochee River and forms Lake Sidney Lanier. Plans for the dam were approved by Congress in 1946. Funding began with $750,000 of a state public works grant in 1949, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 1, 1950. Over 56,000 acres of land were purchased and over 700 families were relocated for the development of the dam and its reservoir. The dam was completed in 1956. The Buford Dam project was part of a nationwide effort after World War II to develop major waterways in the interest of controlling floods, enabling easier transportation, providing power, and strengthening national defense.