Melvin E. Thompson
Melvin Ernest Thompson (May 1, 1903 – October 3, 1980) was an American educator and politician from Millen, Georgia. He is known for serving as the acting Governor of Georgia from 1947 to 1948 and as the first Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, elected in 1946.
Thompson grew up in poverty after his father, a sharecropper, died when Thompson was very young. He paid for college by working various jobs, including student teaching and selling Bibles door to door. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Emory University in 1926 and a Master of Arts from the University of Georgia in 1935; he completed PhD coursework but never defended his dissertation.
His career was in education. He worked as a teacher, coach, principal, district superintendent, and later assistant state superintendent. He served as Executive Secretary to Governor Ellis Arnall and was named State Revenue Commissioner in 1945.
In 1946, Thompson won the newly created office of Lieutenant Governor. After Governor-elect Eugene Talmadge died in 1946, a three-governors controversy began. The legislature chose Herman Talmadge as governor, while Thompson and Arnall both claimed the office. In March 1947, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Thompson was the rightful governor, and Talmadge stepped aside. Thompson served as governor until a special election in 1948, which he lost to Herman Talmadge.
During his time as governor, Thompson pushed for highway improvements and better public education. He helped purchase Jekyll Island for $675,000, expanding access to a beloved Georgia retreat. He also raised teachers’ salaries, provided free books to students, and extended high school to the 12th grade.
After leaving office, Thompson moved to Valdosta, Georgia, and became a successful real estate developer. He died in 1980 in Valdosta and is buried there. In 2013, a portion of Interstate 75 in Lowndes County was named the Governor Melvin Ernest Thompson Memorial Highway.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:52 (CET).