Talk Elections

On July 3, 1964, Maddox and a throng of supporters wielding axe handles forcibly turned away three black activists. A photograph of the scene ran on the front pages of newspapers across the nation, creating an image of Maddox as a violent racist. Maddox would both shun and cultivate this reputation at various points throughout his career. After losing a year-long legal battle in which he challenged the constitutionality of the public accommodations section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Maddox elected to close his restaurant rather than desegregate.

Rumors that Maddox would return Georgia to a state of massive resistance against segregation proved unfounded. In fact, Maddox proved reasonably progressive on many racial matters. As governor he backed significant prison reform, an issue popular with many of the state's African Americans. He appointed more African Americans to government positions than all previous Georgia governors combined, including the first black officer in the Georgia State Patrol and the first black official to the state Board of Corrections. Though he never finished high school, Maddox greatly increased funding for the University System of Georgia.