Lewis, Helen M., 1924-

James Vinson Carmichael was born to Emma Mae Nolan and John Vinson Carmichael on October 2, 1910 in Cobb County, Georgia. He was disabled after being hit by a car at age 15, leaving him with a damaged spine, limited leg mobility and chronic pain. He went on to graduate from Emory University Law School in 1933 and later became county attorney. Carmichael was instrumental in building an airport for Cobb County, and in 1944, Bell Aircraft's president, Lawrence D. Bell, made him general manager of his Georgia plant. His other achievements included becoming president of Scripto Pen Company and general manager of Lockheed Martin, and serving on the governing boards of the University System of Georgia, Emory University, and the Atlanta School of Art, among others. Carmichael was twice elected unopposed to the Georgia General Assembly, and in 1946 ran for Governor against Eugene Talmadge and E. D. Rivers. More moderate than his opponents and a champion of change and progress for Georgia, Carmichael was popular in urban areas but lost rural votes, and was ultimately defeated by Talmadge.

Helen M. Lewis was born in 1924 in Cumming, Georgia. While at Georgia State College for Women she helped form the Student League for Good Government in order to campaign for Jimmy Carmichael's 1946 gubernatorial race. When Carmichael lost the race, Lewis went to graduate school at Duke University, but returned to Georgia, where she answered letters for Governor M. E. Thompson. She finished her master's in sociology at the University of Virginia in 1950, and was awarded a Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Kentucky in 1970. As an educator, librarian, and administrator, Lewis worked for the University of Virginia's College at Wise, Berea College in Kentucky, and the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee. She has been active in Appalachian issues, including labor, poverty, and education. She is retired.

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