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Melvin Ernest Thompson (May 1, 1903 – October 3, 1980) was an American educator and politician from Millen in the U.S. state of Georgia. Generally known as M.E. Thompson during his political career, he served as the 70th Governor of Georgia from 1947 to 1948 and was elected as the first Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 1946.
Oct 3, 2002 · Melvin E. Thompson, the first person elected to the office of lieutenant governor of Georgia, served as the state’s governor in 1947-48. He is best remembered for his fight with Herman Talmadge over the governorship after the death of Governor-elect Eugene Talmadge in 1946.
Melvin E. Thompson claimed a few triumphs during his brief tenure as governor: he increased state spending without new taxes, raised teachers' salaries, increased spending for education, expanded the roads and bridges building program, improved the state's park system, and purchased Jekyll Island.
Dec 1, 2020 · In March 1947, with Goodwin’s reports circulating and Melvin Thompson waging a legal battle, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Thompson, as the lt. governor at the time of Talmadge’s death, was the rightful successor to the governor’s office.
Aug 12, 2002 · In March 1947 the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that Melvin E. Thompson was the rightful governor because he was lieutenant governor–elect when Eugene Talmadge died.
Born on May 1, 1903, Melvin Ernest (M. E.) Thompson attended Millen High School. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Emory University and a master's degree in education at the University of Georgia.
Melvin E. Thompson Collection (AFC/2001/001/114228), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Online Format video
