March 20, 1907

1907 Politician Ellis Gibbs Arnall was born in Newnan, Georgia. He attended Mercer University and the University of the South before graduating from the University of Georgia Law School in 1931. The following year he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives at the age of twenty-five, becoming the youngest legislator ever to serve in the General Assembly up to that time. He served two terms in the legislature before being appointed assistant attorney general in 1937, then attorney general in 1939. Arnall decided to run for governor in 1942 because of the furor over then Governor Eugene Talmadge’s dictatorial treatment of the Board of Regents over the matter of firing two professors, allegedly for supporting integration in public schools. Ten state universities and colleges would lose their accreditation over this matter. In the aftermath Arnall defeated Talmadge in the gubernatorial race, once again becoming the youngest person to hold that office for his time. Arnall served only one term as governor (1943-1947), but it was a term noted for reform and progressive legislation. Under his leadership Georgia adopted a new state constitution, created a constitutional Board of Regents, State Board of Education, State Board of Pardons and Paroles, State Game and Fish Commission, and State Ports Authority. State appropriations were increased for education, and a teachers’ retirement system was begun -- all while erasing the state’s debt without raising taxes. Reforms were initiated in the penal system; Georgia became the first state to lower the voting age to eighteen; the poll tax was abolished, and Georgia won a major Supreme Court case (with Arnall arguing for the state) allowing the state to sue railroads over rate-fixing practices. Unfortunately Arnall’s term ended with the "Three Governor’s Affair." Arnall went on to serve as director of the Office of Price Stabilization in the Truman administration. He unsuccessfully ran for governor again in 1966, before retiring from political life. Arnall died in 1992.

March 20, 1958

1958 Actress Holly Hunter was born in Conyers, Georgia. Despite her short height (5’2") and her noticeable southern accent, Holly Hunter developed into a highly respected actress in Hollywood. She began her career on Broadway in "Crimes of the Heart," then broke into movies in "Raising Arizona." She received critical acclaim for her work in "Broadcast News," then won an Academy Award for her 1993 role as a mute musician in "The Piano." Hunter won an Emmy that same year for portraying a Texas mother who murdered a cheerleader opposing her daughter.

March 20, 1937

1937 Singer/musician/actor/television host Jerry Reed was born in Atlanta. Among his best known recordings was the hit, "When You’re Hot You’re Hot." Reed is probably most widely remembered for his supporting roles in the original and sequel of Burt Reynolds’ "Smoky and the Bandit" movies.

March 20, 1994

1994 Author, newspaper columnist, and humorist Lewis Grizzard died in Atlanta. Born and raised in Moreland (Coweta County), Ga., Grizzard was famous for his down-home southern humor. He spent virtually all of his professional life writing for the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Constitution. Grizzard’s columns were collected and edited into number of books with distinctive titles like Elvis is Dead and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself, They Took Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat ( a humorous look at his heart surgery), and If I Ever Get Back to Georgia I’m Going to Nail My Feet to the Ground (after his brief attempt at living in Chicago).

March 20, 1777

1777 Military leader Edmund Pendleton Gaines was born in Culpepper County, Va. He quickly rose through the military ranks to become a brigadier general in 1814. The following year, as commander of the Southern Division of the U.S. Army, Gaines came to Georgia to survey the boundaries of Creek land cessions. The Creeks believed the treaty had been nullified, however, and resisted. In 1816, a fort named for Gaines was erected on the Chattahoochee River to protect settlers. For a time Gaines commanded the Western Division, but returned to Georgia in 1825 to arbitrate the dispute between Georgia governor George Troup -- who had signed another treaty ceding Creek lands with Creek chief William McIntosh. A majority of the Creeks did not agree to this cession and McIntosh was murdered. Meanwhile Troup insisted that the land in question belonged to Georgia. Gaines and Troup wrote angry letters to each other over the situation, but Gaines was able to ease tensions with the Creeks. Most of the rest of his military career was spent outside of Georgia. While frequently in conflict with the Creeks and Cherokees, Gaines was one of the few military leaders who opposed the forcible removal of Indians from U.S. territory. In 1821, the new town of Gainesville, Ga. was named in his honor.

March 20, 1970

1970 Gov. Lester Maddox signed a joint resolution of the General Assembly designating the Brown Thrasher as Georgia’s official state bird and the Bobwhite Quail as the official state game bird.

March 20, 1889

1889 Construction of the new Georgia State Capitol was formally completed and the keys were delivered to Gov. John B. Gordon.

March 20, 1744

1744 During Georgia’s first decade, lack of adequate funding was always a problem. To meet many emergencies, James Oglethorpe first used personal funds. When those ran out, he borrowed heavily from many different English creditors using his Godalming home, Westbrook Manor, and other property holdings in nearby Haslemere as security. After his final return to England in 1743, he petitioned the British War Office for reimbursement in order to pay off his loans. Otherwise, he stood to lose all of the personal properties he had earlier mortgaged on behalf of Georgia. The War Office finally agreed on a figure of ??66,109 and recommended that Parliament pay this amount to Gen. Oglethorpe. Although there is some confusion over whether the date was March 20 or March 22, the House of Commons voted to reimburse Gen. James Oglethorpe the entire ??66,109. The Earl of Egmont recorded the day of the vote as March 20, 1744. Webb Garrison, author of Oglethorpe’s Folly, however, says that according to the journal of the House of Commons, the vote took place on March 22.

March 20, 1957

1957 Filmmaker Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia. There, he attended Morehouse College before earning a masters degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Lee broke onto the film making scene in 1986 with "She’s Gotta Have It," which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. His next film, "School Daze," was very successful and launched the careers of several young actors. "Do the Right Thing," released in 1989, was nominated for three Academy Awards -- Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. Other critically and financially successful Lee films include "Jungle Fever," "Mo’ Better Blues," "Clockers," and "Malcolm X." Lee has also produced music videos and a number of highly popular commercials for Nike -- resurrecting his character Mars Blackmon from "She’s Gotta Have It."

March 20, 1943

1943 Gov. Ellis Arnall signed a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to elevate the Public Service Commission from a statutory to a constitutional agency. The distinction was that statutory agencies are totally subject to laws passed by the General Assembly -- and can be changed or abolished by legislative statute. Constitutional agencies, on the other hand, are provided for within the state constitution, and can only be abolished by constitutional amendment.

March 20, 1970

1970 Gov. Lester Maddox signed legislation making it a felony to manufacture, process, distribute, or possess LSD. The penalty for a first offense was a fine up to $2,000 and imprisonment from 2 to 5 years.