Governor of Georgia, 1931–1933 Russell as governorĪs governor, Russell reorganized the bureaucracy, promoted economic development in the midst of the Great Depression, and balanced the state budget. His popularity among his legislator colleagues came from his perceived integrity and willingness to build coalitions. Six years into his tenure, Russell ran unopposed for the Speakership at the age of 29. Early political career įollowing his time at college, Russell briefly worked at a law firm with his father before successfully running for the Georgia House of Representatives at the earliest opportunity. The Republican Party was no longer competitive, hollowed out in the state following the effective disenfranchisement of most blacks by Georgia's approval of a constitutional amendment, effective in 1908, requiring a literacy test, but providing a "grandfather clause" to create exceptions for whites. While at UGA, he was a member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society.ĭominated by white conservatives, Democrats controlled state government and the Congressional delegation. Russell enrolled in the University of Georgia School of Law in 1915 and earned a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree in 1918. Due to the family's loss of their ancestral plantation and mill during Sherman's March, Russell spent much time studying Civil War history. Due to his political failures, the Russell family lived below their financial means at times.įrom an early age, the elder Russell trained his son to succeed his father's legacy in the state. Senator for Georgia and Governor of Georgia. Though he was a well-liked state representative for Clarke County and a successful solicitor general for a seven-county circuit, he fared poorly in multiple attempts to become U.S. Throughout Russell Jr.'s childhood, his father made multiple attempts to run for higher political office. He eventually had a total of twelve adult siblings, as well as two who died before adolescence. was born in 1897 as the first son of Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard B. Russell served in the Senate until his death from emphysema in 1971. Johnson, signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, Russell led a Southern boycott of the 1964 Democratic National Convention. After Russell's protégé, President Lyndon B. Russell and 17 fellow Democratic Senators, along with one Republican, blocked the passage of civil rights legislation via the filibuster. Russell supported racial segregation and co-authored the Southern Manifesto with Strom Thurmond. He was also a member of the Warren Commission. He was a candidate for President of the United States at the 1948 Democratic National Convention and the 1952 Democratic National Convention. ĭuring his long tenure in the Senate, Russell served as chairman of several committees, and was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services for most of the period between 19. He was the chief sponsor of the National School Lunch Act, which provided free or low-cost school lunches to impoverished students. He supported the New Deal in his Senate career but helped establish the conservative coalition of Southern Democrats. Russell won a special election to succeed Senator William J. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1921 to 1931 before becoming Governor of Georgia. īorn in Winder, Georgia, Russell established a legal practice in Winder after graduating from the University of Georgia School of Law. He was for decades a leader of Southern opposition to the civil rights movement. Russell was a founder and leader of the conservative coalition that dominated Congress from 1937 to 1963, and at his death was the most senior member of the Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 66th Governor of Georgia from 1931 to 1933 before serving in the United States Senate for almost 40 years, from 1933 to 1971. (Novem– January 21, 1971) was an American politician.
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