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Georgia Democratic Party Forum records

 Collection
Identifier: L1974-40

Scope and Content of the Records

The Ellis Arnall Write-In Campaign files consist primarily of newspaper clippings covering the tumultuous period of the 1966 gubernatorial race. The correspondence available provides a vivid picture of the problems the Write-In Georgia movement encountered with the local Atlanta television stations. Since Ellis Arnall did not publicly announce his candidacy after his defeat in the primary election, under FCC regulations he was not a legally qualified candidate. As a result, the local television stations refused to provide equal time on behalf on behalf of the Write-In movement. Numerous complaints, based on alleged voting irregularities prevalent during the general election, are discussed and described in the civil action suit 10483. Other correspondence in the collection includes a substantial number of letters received from Arnall supporters.

The correspondence consists of letters sent and received by individuals interested in joining the Forum to oppose Governor Lester Maddox's effort to hand-pick the Georgia Delegation to the National Convention. Civil Action Suit 11709 specifically contests this action by Maddox. The dichotomy in the Georgia Democratic Party that resulted in 1967 when Governor Maddox, at his discretion, selected delegates to represent Georgia at the National Convention, is discussed and described in the printed material.

The collection was formerly titled Ellis Arnall Write-In Campaign records.

Dates

  • Creation: 1959-1972
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1967 - 1971

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

Oversized materials stored off-site. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

History of the Georgia Democratic Party Forum

The Georgia Democratic Party Forum, a splinter group of the state Democratic Party, originated in 1966 and supported former Governor Ellis Arnall in his unsuccessful write-in bid for governor. The Ellis Arnall Write-In Campaign was initiated by a group of concerned citizens who felt that their interests could best be served by the former governor. The Write-In movement received endorsements from several distinguished organizations, including the Georgia State AFL-CIO. Although Arnall was defeated in the 1966 general election, his victory in Liberty county set a precedent in Georgia history. Never before has an unavowed candidate, who refused to say a word in the general election, won a countywide vote over two announced candidates.

The Forum gained national attention in 1968 when it sent a slate of delegates to the National Democratic Convention in Chicago, and ultimately succeeded in getting half of the group seated to cast half of Georgia's votes. One of the delegates sent to Chicago was State Representative Julian Bond of Atlanta, who subsequently was placed in nomination for vice-president, but declined because he was too young to hold the office.

Extent

3.5 Linear Feet (in 10 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract:

The Georgia Democratic Party Forum, a splinter group of the state Democratic Party, originated in 1966 and supported former Governor Ellis Arnall in his unsuccessful write-in bid for governor. The Forum gained national attention in 1968 when it sent a slate of delegates to the National Democratic Convention in Chicago, and ultimately succeeded in getting half of the group seated to cast half of Georgia's votes. The collection, 1959-1972 (bulk 1967-1971) consists of 2 series. Series I, records of Write-In Georgia from 1964, 1966-1967, includes correspondence, minutes, financial and legal documents, printed materials and newspaper clippings. Series II consists of records of the Georgia Democratic Party Forum from 1959-1972, and includes correspondence, minutes, financial documents, and printed material including reports, lists, news clippings, press releases, resolutions, and constitution and bylaws.

Arrangement of the Records

The collection is arranged into 2 Series: (I) The Ellis Arnall Write-In Campaign files, and (II) The Georgia Democratic Forum Papers. Series II is divided into 6 subseries: (A) Correspondence; (B) Minutes; (C) Financial documents; (D) Legal documents; (E) Printed material and (F) Oversize material. The box numbering reflects an earlier system whereby each new collection's numbering began where the most recently processed collection finished.

Off-Site Storage

Oversized materials stored off-site. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval

Acquisition Information

Donated by E. T. Kehrer, 1974.

Online Availability

The photographs in this collection may have been digitized and are available online at Georgia State University Library Digital Collections.

Separated Materials

During processing, materials were separated to other Southern Labor Archives Printed Collections. For photographs, see the Southern Labor Archives Photographs Collection finding aid.

Separated to Southern Labor Archives Photographic Collection

  1. Ellis Arnall Write-In Campaign photgraphs, 1966 (3 photographs?)

Processing Information

Processed by Carol Veal at the file level, March 1975.

Title
Georgia Democratic Party Forum:
Subtitle
A Guide to Its Records at Georgia State University Library
Status
Completed
Author
Georgia State University Library
Date
June 2001
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
100 Decatur St., S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-413-2880
404-413-2881 (Fax)