Lester Garfield Maddox (jan 11, 1967 – jan 12, 1971)

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Lester Garfield Maddox served as the Governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971, known for opposing integration during the Civil Rights Movement. As governor, he gained national attention for his symbolic defiance of federal desegregation policies, including his refusal to desegregate public accommodations, famously wielding an axe handle to confront Black patrons. Despite his resistance to civil rights progress, Maddox's administration focused on state infrastructure, including building roads and expanding the state's education system. His time in office also saw the rise of Georgia's two-party system, as Maddox's conservative stance helped shift the state's politics toward a more conservative direction.

Sources:
SUMMERLIN, DONNIE. “‘We Represented the Best of Georgia in Chicago’: The Georgia Loyalist Delegate Challenge at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.” The Georgia Historical Quarterly 103, no. 3 (2019): 211–53. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45219172.

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