November 2, 1760

1760 Royal governor Henry Ellis departed Georgia, leaving James Wright as acting governor. Ellis would eventually resign and Wright was appointed royal governor in April of 1761.

November 2, 1897

1897 Lawyer and noted politician Richard B. Russell Jr. was born in Winder, Georgia. After graduating with a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1918, he returned to Winder to practice law. Russell’s life of public service began in 1919 when he was named Barrow County attorney. The following year, voters elected him to the Georgia House of Representatives, where he pushed public education and improved transportation--especially better roads. In 1927, at age 29, Russell was named Speaker of the House--the youngest in Georgia history. In 1930, Russell easily won election as Georgia governor on his platform of reorganizing state government for economy and efficiency. Five months shy of his 34th birthday, Russell took the oath of office from his father,Georgia chief justice Richard B. Russell Sr., and became the youngest governor in Georgia history--a record that still stands.

After Georgia U.S. Senator William Harris died in 1932, Gov. Russell named an interim replacement until the next general election, in which Russell himself became a candidate. Georgia voters elected their young governor to fill Harris’ unexpired term. When he arrived in Washington in January 1933, he was the nation’s youngest senator. At first. Russell was an ardent supporter of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, particularly those designed to help rural America -- which included most of Georgians at the time. As the Great Depression waned, however, so did Russell’s support for Roosevelt’s policies. But Russell’s popularity at home remained strong, and his devotion to duty and intricate knowledge of how the Senate worked helped him rise to power. In his first year, Russell managed to secure an appointment to the influential Appropriations Committee, remaining a member for the rest of his life. Another notable committee he served on was Naval Affairs (renamed the Armed Services Committee in 1947). Russell served as its chairman from 1951-1953 and from 1955-1969. Besides standing committees, Russell also served on several high-profile special committees. He chaired the 1951 committee which investigated the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur, and helped defuse what could have become a much more volatile issue. He also served on the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of President John Kennedy.

Unfortunately, by the 1960s, Russell’s national image was most affected by his stance on civil rights. He strongly opposed federal intervention in southern race relations and became the leader of a southern bloc of senators who held similar ideas. Russell’s opposition to civil rights laws strained his relationship with President Lyndon Johnson, who was a strong supporter of federal intervention to guarantee civil rights in the South. Still, during his long senatorial career, Russell can be remembered for the many things he did for the nation (such as defense and the school lunch program) and for his home state of Georgia (such as federal research facilities, water and transportation improvement projects, and military bases). Throughout his 39 years of public service in the U.S. Senate, Russell lived modestly in a small Washington apartment, where he worked tirelessly for what he believed was best for his Georgia constituency. He died in Washington, DC on January 21, 1971. In tribute to his contributions, a congressional office building, a U.S. Corps lake, and a number of buildings and facilities bear Russell’s name. Additionally, an imposing statue of him is found on the grounds of Georgia’s state capitol. For those interested in learning more of his life, a special repository for his papers, as well as those of other notable Georgia political figures, is housed at the Richard B. Russell Memorial Library at the University of Georgia.

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November 2, 1920

1920 In the statewide general election, Georgia voters ratified constitutional amendments creating Seminole, Lanier, Brantley, Long, and Lamar counties respectively as Georgia’s 156th -160th counties respectively. Constitutional amendments were necessary because Georgia’s constitution then limited the number of counties in the state to 145. Rather than raise that limit, Georgia lawmakers chose to create additional counties through a constitutional amendment for each new county

Seminole County, created from portions of Decatur and Early counties, was named for the Seminole Indians who once inhabited this area.
Lanier County, named for Georgia poet Sidney Lanier, was created from portions of Berrien, Clinch, and Lowndes counties.
Brantley County, named for local leader Benjamin D. Brantley, was created from portions of Charlton, Pierce, Wayne counties.
Long County, created from portions of Liberty County, was named for anesthesia pioneer Dr. Crawford Long.
Lamar County, created from portions of Monroe and Pike counties, was named for Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, a former congressman, U.S. senator, U.S. Secretary of Interior, and U.S. Supreme Court justice.
1974 After Hank Aaron suggested that he might want to retire, the Atlanta Braves traded baseball’s homerun king to the Milwaukee Brewers for Dave May and Roger Alexander.

November 2, 1976

1976 Jimmy Carter was elected President of the United States, defeating incumbent Gerald Ford. Carter won the popular vote 51%-48%, while winning twenty-three states and the District of Columbia, giving him 297 electoral votes (270 were needed to win). Carter became the first president born in the Deep South since Reconstruction.

November 2, 1976

1976 A federal judge ordered the DeKalb County School System to make major revisions in its desegregation plan, including added busing of students and the appointment of a biracial committee to oversee the plan

November 2, 1976

1976 By a 61 percent margin of support, Georgia voters ratified the Georgia Constitution of 1976. This document primarily was an editorial revision of the Constitution of 1945 undertaken as a first step toward substantive revision.

November 2, 1982

1982 With a 73 percent approval rate, voters in the 1982 general election ratified Georgia’s current constitution (officially designated the Georgia Constitution of 1983 because its effective date was July 1, 1983). This document was the result of five years work by the Select Committee on Constitutional Revision and the General Assembly to produce a substantive revision of the 1976 constitution.

November 2, 1983

1983 President Reagan signed legislation designating the third Monday of each January as a federal holiday to mark the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. By 1993, all fifty states also observed this date as an official holiday.