John E. Frankum Explained

John Eccleston Frankum (March 6, 1898 – June 7, 1978) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia from 1967 to 1970.

Early life, education, and career

Born in Habersham County, Georgia,^{[1] [2]} Frankum received his law degree from Atlanta Law School in 1920 and entered the practice of law in Clarkesville, Georgia. He was mayor of Clarkesville from 1931 to 1936.^[2]

Judicial career

After serving for periods as a city court judge in Clarkesville, and as the city's solicitor general, Frankum was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals in 1960 by Governor Ernest Vandiver.^[2] He was elected to the seat in November of that year, and reelected in 1966, serving only one year into his second term before Governor Lester Maddox appointed him to a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court,^[2] vacated by the death of Eugene Cook from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.^[3]

Maddox resigned from the court in 1970. He died eight years later, after a lengthy illness.^[2]

Notes and References

1. "Memoriam", Reports of Cases Decided in the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia, Volume 242 (1978), p. xxvii.
2. "John Frankum, Former Justice", The Atlanta Constitution (June 9, 1978), p. 5C.
3. "Frankum Named to Cook's Seat", The Atlanta Constitution (April 19, 1967), p. 1.