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Oral history interview with Governor Lester Maddox, 1986 March 7

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@ University of West Georgia. Special Collections

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Lester Maddox (1915-2003) was born to a working class family on September 30, 1915 in Atlanta. He dropped out of high school to work, and received a draft deferment during World War II due to employment in an essential industry. He opened the Pickrick Cafeteria in 1947, and became as widely known for his segregationist political commentary, as for his food. Maddox ran for office several times with no success, but became known nationally after a picture of him and supporters holding axe handles turning away black patrons ran in papers nationally in 1964. In 1966 he entered the Democratic primary for governor and defeated liberal former governor Ellis Arnall. Maddox managed a victory in a tumultuous election that ended up being decided by the overwhelmingly Democratic Georgia legislature. Surprising to many, Maddox governed in a more moderate manner than expected and appointed more African Americans to government offices than all previous governors combined. He backed prison reform and secured more funding for the state's university system. Maddox could not serve a consecutive term as governor, so ran and won the office of lieutenant governor, where he often clashed with Governor Jimmy Carter. He went back into private business after leaving public office. Maddox died of cancer in 2003.; Interviewed by Dr. Mel Steely and Ted Fitz-Simons at the University of West Georgia.; In this interview, Lester Maddox discusses his early years. He answers questions regarding his lie at home, his family, his religion, and his education. He speaks of...
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Video
Contributors:
Steely, MelFitz-Simons, TedUniversity of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
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Record Contributed By

University of West Georgia. Special Collections

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia

Keywords

  1. Athens
  2. Atlantic Steel Company
  3. Bessemer Galvanizing Works
  4. Biltmore (Hotel : Atlanta, Ga.)
  5. Cable Cars (Streetcars)
  6. Capitalism
  7. Carnegie Library (San Antonio, Tex.)
  8. Carnegie, Dale, 1888 1955
  9. Castlebury Family
  10. Civil Rights
  11. Civil Rights Movements
  12. Coca Cola Company
  13. College Integration
  14. Constitution
  15. Cummings, Georgia
  16. Democratic Party (Ga.)
  17. Democratic Party (U.S.)
  18. Depressions
  19. Douglas County (Ga.)
  20. Electronic Surveillance
  21. Forsyth County (Ga.)
  22. Franklin, Benjamin, 1706 1790
  23. Fulton County (Ga.)
  24. Fulton High School (Fulton County, Ga.)
  25. Georgia
  26. Georgia Institute Of Technology
  27. Georgia Institute Of Technology. Bobby Dodd Stadium
  28. Georgia. General Assembly
  29. Government
  30. Governors
  31. Hale, Nathan, 1784 1863
  32. Hancock, John, 1737 1793
  33. Home Park Public School (Atlanta, Ga.)
  34. Hoover, Herbert, 1874 1964
  35. Ingles Iron Works (Ga.)
  36. Jefferson, Thomas, 1743 1826
  37. Lang Steel Company
  38. Leb's Restaurant (Atlanta, Ga.)
  39. Legislators
  40. Linder, Thomas Mercer, 1887 1978
  41. Lindsley, Archie
  42. Lithia Springs (Ga.)
  43. Maddox, Dean
  44. Maddox, Flonnie Bell Castlebury
  45. Maddox, Lester, 1915
  46. Maddox, Virginia Cox, 1919 1997
  47. Murphy, Thomas Bailey, 1924 2007
  48. North Atlanta Baptist Church (Atlanta, Ga.)
  49. Pearl Harbor (Hawaii)
  50. Pickrick Cafeteria (Atlanta, Ga.)
  51. Pirkle Family
  52. Political Corruption
  53. Politics And Government
  54. Railroad Cars
  55. Republican Party (Ga.)
  56. Republican Party (U.S.)
  57. Rivers, Eurith Dickinson, 1895 1967
  58. Salvation Army
  59. Slappery, George
  60. Social Security System
  61. Stock Market Crash, 1929
  62. United States
  63. United States. Declaration Of Independence
  64. United States. Navy
  65. United States. Work Projects Administration
  66. Universities
  67. University Of Georgia
  68. Washington, George, 1732 1799
  69. Watson, Thomas E. (Thomas Edward), 1856 1922
  70. William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport
  71. World War, 1939 1945
  72. Wsb (Radio Station : Atlanta, Ga.)

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Ku Klux Klan member picketing outside of Leb's Restaurant, while African-American students demonstrate across the street, Atlanta, Georgia, February 3, 1964. Lester Maddox oral history interviews, 1988 November 22 and 1989 July 26 Letter to] Dear brother May [manuscript Oral history interview with Former Governor George Busbee, 1993 July 15 Maddox, Lester
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