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Lester Maddox oral history interviews, November 22, 1988, July 26, 1989

 Item — othertype: Oral History
Identifier: MaddoxL_19881122_P1989-11

Scope and Contents

Interviewed by John Allen. Among topics discussed: Childhood memories; family background; childhood business dealings; Home Park Elementary School; heroes; Depression era; black/white neighborhood relations; memories of parents; religious influence; Franklin Roosevelt; WPA work; Virginia Maddox; working at Atlantic Steel; Bessemer Galvanizing Works; attack at Pearl Harbor; work injury ; return to Atlanta; Bell Aircraft; first restaurant; sale of restaurant; buying grocery store; becoming a real estate agent; 1945 auto accident; the Pickrick Restaurant; desegregation; Harry Truman; Dwight Eisenhower; Earl Warren; Pickrick ads; politics; William Hartsfield; 1957 mayoral campaign ; Archie Lindsay; the Bloody Fifth ward; 1988 presidential campaign; Governor Michael Dukakis; serving as governor; 1961 mayoral campaign; Atlanta law enforcement; racial segregation; George Wallace; Ivan Allen; Mills Lane; Jim Aldredge; Charlie Brown; Muggsy Smith; grand jury service; 1962 lieutenant governor campaign; statewide campaigning; media coverage during campaign; Governor Joe Frank Harris; 1966 governor's race; James Gray; efforts to persuade Maddox to withdraw from campaign; raising campaign funds; campaign goes to legislature; philosophy as governor; appointments; "People's Day"; impressions of Jimmy Carter; Tommy Irvin; Morgan Redwine; assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Maddox seeks 1968 Democratic presidential nomination; Democratic liberalism; record as governor; penal system reform; sales tax increases; term as lieutenant governor; Jimmy Carter; opposition to Carter; Carter's tactics as governor; reorganization; strong local government; Carter as president; 1974 governor's race; salary increases; state merit system; 1988 presidential campaign; Democratic Party; Sam Nunn; Joe Frank Harris.

Dates

  • Creation: November 22, 1988, July 26, 1989

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Oral history available for research.

Biographical Note

Lester Maddox (1915-2003) served as governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971, and as lieutenant governor from 1971 to 1975.

Extent

2 item(s) (audio (3:16:32 duration) transcript (188 pages))

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

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