Lester Maddox | |
---|---|
75th Governor of Georgia | |
In office January 10, 1967 – January 12, 1971 | |
Lieutenant | George T. Smith |
Preceded by | Carl Sanders |
Succeeded by | Jimmy Carter |
7th Lieutenant Governor of Georgia | |
In office January 12, 1971 – January 14, 1975 | |
Governor | Jimmy Carter |
Preceded by | George T. Smith |
Succeeded by | Zell Miller |
Personal details | |
Born | Lester Garfield Maddox September 30, 1915 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | June 25, 2003 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 87)
Resting place | Arlington Memorial Park Sandy Springs, Georgia, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Other political affiliations | American Independent (1968, 1976) |
Spouse |
Hattie Virginia Cox
(m. 1935; died 1997) |
Children | 4 |
Lester Garfield Maddox Sr. (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 75th governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971. A populist Southern Democrat, Maddox came to prominence as a staunch segregationist[1] when he refused to serve black customers in his Atlanta restaurant, the Pickrick, in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As he was ineligible to run for a second consecutive gubernatorial term, he sought and won election as lieutenant governor, serving alongside his successor as governor, Jimmy Carter.