Ellis Gibbs Arnall (1907-1992) received his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1931 and returned to Newnan to practice law. He married Mildred Delaney Slemons (1908-1980) and built this house in 1935, in the same neighborhood where his parents once lived. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1932-1938 and as attorney general from 1939-1943. He was elected governor in 1943 and served four years. His record still stands as one of the most progressive in the state’s modern history.
Platinum Point Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Brian, while a student at GA Tech in 1966 l was at the meeting at the Georgian Terrace where Democrats who refused to vote for the primary winner Lester Maddox who had defeated Ellis Arnall in the primary, tried first on the urging of Martin Luther King Sr. to get Herman Talmadge (he refused) and then Ellis Arnall to agree to run a write in campaign. At that time l was working part time for an architecture firm which had one principal who was on the state Republican committee who revealed that, to his consternation, Republicans were “unofficially” urged to vote in the Democratic primary runoff for Maddox on the incorrect belief he would be easier to beat! Arnall received about 7% of the vote (all the Dekalb County write-ins were tossed out on a technicality). I wonder where we would be today as a state if Arnall had served a 2nd term 2 decades after his first! He was a great Georgian!
That’s fascinating, Ben! I had nearly forgotten about Arnall trying to revive his career in politics. He really is underrated. Before I realized I had this photograph and that it was Gov. Arnall’s house, I was trying to classify the architecture. I gave up and said English Vernacular Revival. I’m not sure that was even close. Eclectic. Eclectic. Eclectic. 🙂
Brian when l looked at the house my thought was it had the lines and proportions of a rural Yorkshire cottage so “English Vernacular Revival” sounds good enough to me LOL. BTW in that 1966 primary Arnall ran first and Maddox was 2nd with Jimmy Carter 3rd! Maddox prevailed in the runoff. The evidence of Republicans voting in the runoff for Maddox is supported by the fact that (at least at the time) it was the only runoff to have more votes cast than in the original primary. Fascinating history!
I would bet that my grandpa Paulk knew Gov. Arnall. He served as Secretary of the State Senate and was a close friend of Senator Walter George.