1948 United States presidential election in Georgia explained

See main article: 1948 United States presidential election.

Election Name:1948 United States presidential election in Georgia
Country:Georgia (U.S. state)
Flag Year:1920
Type:presidential
Vote Type:Popular
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1944 United States presidential election in Georgia
Previous Year:1944
Next Election:1952 United States presidential election in Georgia
Next Year:1952
Image1:Harry S Truman, bw half-length photo portrait, facing front, 1945 (cropped).jpg
Nominee1:Harry Truman
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:Missouri
Running Mate1:Alben Barkley
Electoral Vote1:12
Popular Vote1:254,646
Percentage1:60.81%
Nominee2:Strom Thurmond
Party2:Dixiecrat
Home State2:South Carolina
Running Mate2:Fielding L. Wright
Electoral Vote2:0
Popular Vote2:85,055
Percentage2:20.31%
Image3:Thomas Dewey (3x4 crop).jpg
Nominee3:Thomas E. Dewey
Party3:Republican Party (United States)
Home State3:New York
Running Mate3:Earl Warren
Electoral Vote3:0
Popular Vote3:76,691
Percentage3:18.31%
Map Size:290px
President
Before Election:Harry Truman
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
Posttitle:Elected President
After Election:Harry Truman
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

The 1948 United States presidential election in Georgia took place on November 2, 1948, as part of the wider United States presidential election. Voters chose 12 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

With the exception of a handful of historically Unionist North Georgia counties – chiefly Fannin but also to a lesser extent Pickens, Gilmer and Towns – Georgia since the 1880s had been a one-party state dominated by the Democratic Party. Disfranchisement of almost all African-Americans and most poor whites had made the Republican Party virtually nonexistent outside of local governments in those few hill counties, and the national Democratic Party served as the guardian of white supremacy against a Republican Party historically associated with memories of Reconstruction. The only competitive elections were Democratic primaries, which state laws restricted to whites on the grounds of the Democratic Party being legally a private club.[1]

However, on February 2, 1948, incumbent President Harry S. Truman, fearing that the antidemocratic practices and racial discrimination of the South would severely denigrate the United States' reputation in the Cold War,[2] launched the first Civil Rights bill since the end of Reconstruction, along with an executive order for desegregation of the military. Mississippi Governor Fielding Wright had already sounded a call for revolt, which he took to the Southern Governors Conference at Wakulla Springs, Florida,[3] to say that calls for civil rights legislation by national Democrats would not be tolerated in Dixie.

After Truman was renominated at the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Southern Democrats walked out and convened at Birmingham, Alabama on July 17, nominating South Carolina Governor James Strom Thurmond for president and Mississippi Governor Fielding L. Wright for vice president.[4] Given that Georgia had no threat from the Republican Party and a relatively high proportion of African Americans in its population, one would have expected Georgia to oppose Truman's civil rights platform and nominate Thurmond as the official Democratic Party candidate. However, leading "conservative" gubernatorial candidate Herman Talmadge had experienced the three governors controversy in 1947 which removed him from office until a special election was to be held concurrently with the presidential election.[5] Herman consequently feared that if he supported Thurmond for president, Truman loyalists would challenge him for governor in the concurrent general election.

Thus, although most of the Talmadge faction was pro-Thurmond,[6] it did not nominate as Democratic electors candidates pledged to support Thurmond and Fielding Wright, unlike the anti-Long faction in Louisiana.[7] Thurmond and Wright thus had to take their place on the ballot as the "States' Rights" party. Interim Governor Thompson also played an important role in ensuring the "Democratic" label would be given to electors supporting the national ticket.[8]

Because Southern senators and congressmen had their seniority to worry about as it determined places on committees, few of Georgia's congressmen would risk openly supporting Thurmond once Truman was established as the "Democratic" candidate.[9] Consequently, Truman had no trouble carrying the state by 40.49%, and Thurmond gained a majority in just 10 of 159 counties. Almost all of these Thurmond counties were located adjacent to the South Carolina governor's home county of Edgefield, South Carolina, while in most counties north of Atlanta, Thurmond's percentage remained in single figures.[8]

22% of white voters supported Thurmond.

Georgia's ballot access laws required parties to submit petitions with at least 5% of all registered voters. The legislature changed the laws to allow the Dixiecrats to appear and this also allowed the Progressives to appear as well. The electors were still required to submit an oath against communism. The Progressives had to replace seven electors who refused to take the oath.

Results

United States presidential election in Georgia, 1948[10]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
DemocraticHarry Truman (incumbent)254,64660.81%12
States' RightsStrom Thurmond85,05520.31%0
RepublicanThomas E. Dewey76,69118.31%0
ProgressiveHenry Wallace1,6360.39%0
ProhibitionClaude Watson7320.17%0
Socialist (Write-in)Norman Thomas30.01%0
Write-inMorgan Blake10.00%0

Results by county

CountyHarry S. Truman
Democratic
Strom Thurmond
Dixiecrat
Thomas E. Dewey
Republican
Henry A. Wallace
Progressive
Various candidates
Others parties
MarginTotal votes cast
%%%%%%
Appling2,26870.72%63919.93%2899.01%50.16%60.19%1,62950.79%3,207
Atkinson93883.75%11410.18%665.89%10.09%10.09%82473.57%1,120
Bacon78563.56%34327.77%1048.42%20.16%10.08%44235.79%1,235
Baker21877.03%5820.49%72.47%00.00%00.00%16056.54%283
Baldwin1,13254.03%39518.85%55926.68%60.29%30.14%57327.35%2,095
Banks53389.13%264.35%386.35%00.00%10.17%49582.78%598
Barrow1,55475.69%34416.76%1557.55%00.00%00.00%1,21058.93%2,053
Bartow2,38477.71%2036.62%44014.34%280.91%130.42%1,94463.37%3,068
Ben Hill1,43875.84%22511.87%22311.76%10.05%90.47%1,21363.97%1,896
Berrien1,77283.31%23711.14%1075.03%60.28%50.24%1,53572.17%2,127
Bibb7,01149.80%3,83727.26%3,04321.62%1651.17%210.15%3,17422.54%14,077
Bleckley53663.96%22727.09%718.47%00.00%40.48%30936.87%838
Brantley46360.44%22429.24%7910.31%00.00%00.00%23931.20%766
Brooks97558.14%51130.47%18811.21%20.12%10.06%46427.67%1,677
Bryan1,14765.21%47226.83%1357.67%40.23%10.06%67538.38%1,759
Bulloch2,03668.95%62521.16%2769.35%60.20%100.34%1,41147.79%2,953
Burke35723.86%1,02868.72%1077.15%20.13%20.13%-671-44.86%1,496
Butts98784.50%11910.19%615.22%10.09%00.00%86874.31%1,168
Calhoun39977.63%7915.37%367.00%00.00%00.00%32062.26%514
Camden55250.88%32429.86%20819.17%10.09%00.00%22821.02%1,085
Candler58958.49%29028.80%12512.41%20.20%10.10%29929.69%1,007
Carroll2,67172.76%47012.80%52614.33%30.08%10.03%2,14558.43%3,671
Catoosa1,05168.34%21413.91%26817.43%30.20%20.13%78350.91%1,538
Charlton33959.68%15927.99%7012.32%00.00%00.00%18031.69%568
Chatham10,86445.46%6,83928.62%5,96624.97%2100.88%180.08%4,02516.84%23,897
Chattahoochee4639.66%6959.48%10.86%00.00%00.00%-23-19.82%116
Chattooga3,39685.97%1874.73%3629.16%40.10%10.03%3,03476.81%3,950
Cherokee1,26758.85%25011.61%63129.31%40.19%10.05%63629.54%2,153
Clarke3,09571.69%49711.51%70716.38%110.25%70.16%2,38855.31%4,317
Clay29580.38%338.99%3910.63%00.00%00.00%25669.75%367
Clayton2,19266.50%75722.97%33910.29%40.12%40.12%1,43543.53%3,296
Clinch1,28373.57%28716.46%1689.63%10.06%50.29%99657.11%1,744
Cobb4,76667.15%77910.97%1,52421.47%160.23%130.18%3,24245.68%7,098
Coffee3,16876.45%65315.76%3097.46%90.22%50.12%2,51560.69%4,144
Colquitt2,25565.08%66419.16%53715.50%70.20%20.06%1,59145.92%3,465
Columbia16415.47%83678.87%595.57%00.00%10.09%-672-63.40%1,060
Cook1,19275.73%25516.20%1237.81%00.00%40.25%93759.53%1,574
Coweta2,21483.58%2097.89%2198.27%10.04%60.23%1,99575.31%2,649
Crawford38954.79%25736.20%649.01%00.00%00.00%13218.59%710
Crisp1,22562.09%52426.56%22111.20%10.05%20.10%70135.53%1,973
Dade1,48873.45%1939.53%33816.68%30.15%40.20%1,15056.77%2,026
Dawson66044.35%422.82%78652.82%00.00%00.00%-126-8.47%1,488
Decatur1,20953.21%75733.32%29613.03%30.13%70.31%45219.89%2,272
DeKalb10,82655.46%2,84514.57%5,75829.50%640.33%280.14%5,06825.96%19,521
Dodge1,72569.75%53221.51%2108.49%20.08%40.16%1,19348.24%2,473
Dooly57788.50%517.82%223.37%10.15%10.15%52680.68%652
Dougherty2,51764.19%76819.59%61415.66%180.46%40.10%1,74944.60%3,921
Douglas1,33639.93%98729.50%1,01930.45%20.06%20.06%3179.48%3,346
Early1,11082.04%14810.94%946.95%00.00%10.07%96271.10%1,353
Echols33253.29%25841.41%325.14%10.16%00.00%7411.88%623
Effingham34726.84%77960.25%16012.37%40.31%30.23%-432-33.41%1,293
Elbert1,61776.17%35016.49%1527.16%10.05%30.14%1,26759.68%2,123
Emanuel1,43659.88%71729.90%24110.05%30.13%10.04%71929.98%2,398
Evans95367.97%32723.32%1188.42%00.00%40.29%62644.65%1,402
Fannin1,99841.03%821.68%2,78957.27%00.00%10.02%-791-16.24%4,870
Fayette82572.12%26322.99%544.72%00.00%20.17%56249.13%1,144
Floyd5,24768.94%6538.58%1,68922.19%170.22%50.07%3,55846.75%7,611
Forsyth1,81368.11%2529.47%57321.53%30.11%210.79%1,24046.58%2,662
Franklin1,03677.95%15411.59%13810.38%10.08%00.00%88266.36%1,329
Fulton29,31857.43%5,98011.71%14,97629.33%5681.11%2120.42%14,34228.10%51,054
Gilmer1,27550.20%592.32%1,20347.36%10.04%20.08%722.84%2,540
Glascock12324.40%36572.42%132.58%30.60%00.00%-242-48.02%504
Glynn2,44453.36%99221.66%1,09023.80%501.09%40.09%1,35429.56%4,580
Gordon1,52373.75%1577.60%37718.26%10.05%70.34%1,14655.49%2,065
Grady1,51669.54%41619.08%24411.19%10.05%30.14%1,10050.46%2,180
Greene1,21376.29%28217.74%925.79%10.06%20.13%93158.55%1,590
Gwinnett2,83275.99%47112.64%41311.08%40.11%70.19%2,36163.35%3,727
Habersham1,47771.32%21210.24%36817.77%100.48%40.19%1,10953.55%2,071
Hall3,09374.37%44910.80%60614.57%40.10%70.17%2,48759.80%4,159
Hancock44157.12%21928.37%11114.38%10.13%00.00%22228.75%772
Haralson2,26363.51%45712.83%83123.32%70.20%50.14%1,43240.19%3,563
Harris75966.75%23820.93%13812.14%10.09%10.09%52145.82%1,137
Hart1,36389.08%875.69%785.10%00.00%20.13%1,27683.39%1,530
Heard67083.75%536.63%779.63%00.00%00.00%59374.12%800
Henry1,40075.84%21311.54%22912.41%30.16%10.05%1,17163.43%1,846
Houston1,43769.35%42420.46%2049.85%40.19%30.14%1,01348.89%2,072
Irwin94669.82%25618.89%14610.77%60.44%10.07%69050.93%1,355
Jackson1,86683.98%2119.50%1456.53%00.00%00.00%1,65574.48%2,222
Jasper56264.97%21524.86%8710.06%10.12%00.00%34740.11%865
Jeff Davis61167.51%21123.31%707.73%90.99%40.44%40044.20%905
Jefferson54431.70%1,03160.08%1377.98%20.12%20.12%-487-28.38%1,716
Jenkins59561.40%27528.38%9810.11%10.10%00.00%32033.02%969
Johnson68554.54%50340.05%675.33%00.00%10.08%18214.49%1,256
Jones58852.78%42337.97%1039.25%00.00%00.00%16514.81%1,114
Lamar90971.63%19115.05%16412.92%00.00%50.39%71856.58%1,269
Lanier48671.47%10014.71%9213.53%10.15%10.15%38656.76%680
Laurens2,32561.12%1,21131.83%2687.05%00.00%00.00%1,11429.29%3,804
Lee21545.94%21646.15%367.69%10.21%00.00%-1-0.21%468
Liberty82067.66%26922.19%1219.98%20.17%00.00%55145.47%1,212
Lincoln9913.58%59681.76%324.39%10.14%10.14%-497-68.18%729
Long33765.69%15129.43%254.87%00.00%00.00%18636.26%513
Lowndes1,86747.17%1,44836.58%63416.02%50.13%40.10%41910.59%3,958
Lumpkin54774.02%415.55%14219.22%50.68%40.54%40554.80%739
Macon67557.11%37932.06%12710.74%10.08%00.00%29625.05%1,182
Madison1,16080.61%21414.87%624.31%20.14%10.07%94665.74%1,439
Marion28352.31%21239.19%458.32%10.18%00.00%7113.12%541
McDuffie18212.13%1,26084.00%513.40%20.13%50.33%-1,078-71.87%1,500
McIntosh42548.85%20123.10%23326.78%111.26%00.00%19222.07%870
Meriwether1,96781.65%2379.84%2048.47%10.04%00.00%1,73071.81%2,409
Miller72383.97%9410.92%323.72%60.70%60.70%62973.05%861
Mitchell1,45370.30%45722.11%1527.35%30.15%20.10%99648.19%2,067
Monroe88162.04%36825.92%16911.90%10.07%10.07%51336.12%1,420
Montgomery1,04861.90%52030.71%1176.91%50.30%30.18%52831.19%1,693
Morgan1,14781.58%1389.82%1158.18%40.28%20.14%1,00971.76%1,406
Murray1,65368.19%1476.06%61625.41%70.29%10.04%1,03742.78%2,424
Muscogee5,92058.02%1,80217.66%2,44323.94%310.30%70.07%3,47734.08%10,203
Newton2,11384.52%1435.72%2439.72%00.00%10.04%1,87074.80%2,500
Oconee57961.93%25427.17%9410.05%00.00%80.86%32534.76%935
Oglethorpe81973.26%23721.20%625.55%00.00%00.00%58252.06%1,118
Paulding98167.38%1399.55%33322.87%00.00%30.21%64844.51%1,456
Peach64253.81%37231.18%16613.91%110.92%20.17%27022.63%1,193
Pickens1,23945.52%2258.27%1,25546.11%30.11%00.00%-16-0.59%2,722
Pierce90859.97%49232.50%1087.13%30.20%30.20%41627.47%1,514
Pike25654.24%14230.08%7215.25%00.00%20.42%11424.16%472
Polk2,91878.74%2777.47%49113.25%190.51%10.03%2,42765.49%3,706
Pulaski56771.41%16120.28%648.06%20.25%00.00%40651.13%794
Putnam60971.31%13215.46%11012.88%30.35%00.00%47755.85%854
Quitman24668.14%9325.76%195.26%30.83%00.00%15342.38%361
Rabun74777.09%545.57%16517.03%20.21%10.10%58260.06%969
Randolph57559.28%25926.70%13413.81%20.21%00.00%31632.58%970
Richmond2,45019.07%8,81468.61%1,52811.89%310.24%230.18%-6,364-49.54%12,846
Rockdale1,20981.63%1409.45%1268.51%10.07%50.34%1,06972.18%1,481
Schley25768.53%7419.73%4311.47%00.00%10.27%18348.80%375
Screven83855.39%50233.18%17211.37%00.00%10.07%33622.21%1,513
Seminole72280.31%717.90%10511.68%00.00%10.11%61768.63%899
Spalding3,44174.38%67114.50%50610.94%20.04%60.13%2,77059.88%4,626
Stephens91268.93%1309.83%27821.01%00.00%30.23%63447.92%1,323
Stewart27646.94%26545.07%467.82%10.17%00.00%111.87%588
Sumter1,01847.48%85840.02%25611.94%20.09%100.47%1607.46%2,144
Talbot58271.67%13516.63%9211.33%10.12%20.25%44755.04%812
Taliaferro50484.14%7312.19%213.51%00.00%10.17%43171.95%599
Tattnall1,07157.46%56730.42%21611.59%50.27%50.27%50427.04%1,864
Taylor63857.95%36032.70%998.99%30.27%10.09%27825.25%1,101
Telfair71263.18%33930.08%756.65%00.00%10.09%37333.10%1,127
Terrell60863.93%24225.45%10010.52%00.00%10.11%36638.48%951
Thomas1,42938.97%1,29535.31%92525.22%80.22%100.27%1343.66%3,667
Tift3,15868.00%82917.85%63713.72%50.11%150.32%2,32950.15%4,644
Toombs1,16157.59%65632.54%1939.57%10.05%50.25%50525.05%2,016
Towns51662.62%60.73%30236.65%00.00%00.00%21425.97%824
Treutlen41361.37%21632.10%263.86%10.15%172.53%19729.27%673
Troup3,89675.37%73114.14%53610.37%40.08%20.04%3,16561.23%5,169
Turner77467.72%22219.42%14712.86%00.00%00.00%55248.30%1,143
Twiggs35944.05%40149.20%526.38%10.12%20.25%-42-5.15%815
Union1,42051.12%752.70%1,27445.86%20.07%70.25%1465.26%2,778
Upson2,43281.26%2939.79%2628.75%10.03%50.17%2,13971.47%2,993
Walker3,41869.83%4779.74%98020.02%70.14%130.27%2,43849.81%4,895
Walton2,44084.99%2629.13%1645.71%30.10%20.07%2,17875.86%2,871
Ware2,61156.15%1,37429.55%65514.09%60.13%40.09%1,23726.60%4,650
Warren25631.45%52564.50%334.05%00.00%00.00%-269-33.05%814
Washington1,16984.77%20.15%20414.79%40.29%00.00%96569.98%1,379
Wayne1,27772.89%27815.87%19010.84%20.11%50.29%99957.02%1,752
Webster11837.58%11737.26%7925.16%00.00%00.00%10.32%314
Wheeler56063.28%28632.32%394.41%00.00%00.00%27430.96%885
White49778.89%7211.43%599.37%00.00%20.32%42567.46%630
Whitfield3,41963.42%62111.52%1,24923.17%941.74%80.15%2,17040.25%5,391
Wilcox79170.94%24722.15%756.73%10.09%10.09%54448.79%1,115
Wilkes77163.61%34528.47%957.84%10.08%00.00%42635.14%1,212
Wilkinson50145.59%50045.50%968.74%10.09%10.09%10.09%1,099
Worth1,15977.06%21614.36%1248.24%30.20%20.13%94362.70%1,504
Totals254,64660.81%85,05520.31%76,69118.31%1,6360.39%7360.18%169,59140.50%418,764

Works cited

Notes and References

  1. Springer, Melanie Jean; How the States Shaped the Nation: American Electoral Institutions and Voter Turnout, 1920-2000, p. 155
  2. Frederickson, Kari A.; The Dixiecrat Revolt and the End of the Solid South, p. 76
  3. [Valdimer Orlando Key|Key, Valdimer Orlando]
  4. Key; Southern Politics, p. 335
  5. Mickey, Robert; Paths Out of Dixie: The Democratization of Authoritarian Enclaves in America's Deep South, 1944-1972, p. 128
  6. Buchanan, Scott E.; Some of the People Who Ate My Barbecue Didn't Vote for Me: The Life of Georgia Governor Marvin Griffin, p. 79 ISBN
  7. Key; Southern Politics, p. 341
  8. Mickey, Paths out of Dixie; p. 166
  9. Sundquite, James L.; Dynamics of the Party System: Alignment and Realignment of Political Parties in the United States, p. 277
  10. Book: Compiled by Mrs. J.E. Hays, State Historian and Director . 1950 . Georgia's Official Register, 1945-1950 . Atlanta, GA . State of Georgia, Department of Archives and History . 608-610 .