The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change

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Vandiver, S. Ernest (Samuel Ernest)

b. 1918 - d. 2005

Samuel Ernest Vandiver Jr. was governor of Georgia from 1959 to 1963. Although he pledged to maintain segregation during his tenure as governor, he respected the 1961 ruling of a U.S. District Court, allowing the desegregation of the University of Georgia with the admission of Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes, two African American students. He also successfully urged the Georgia General Assembly to repeal legislation revoking funding from integrated state institutions. Arguing that closing schools did more harm to children than integrating them, he oversaw the integration of Atlanta public schools. Vandiver is respected for restoring the image of Georgia following scandals of his predecessors. Governor Vandiver received many pleas to provide protection for Dr. King and pardon him of criminal charges.

Associated Archive Content : 5 results

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Appeal from Wyatt Tee Walker for Albany Support

Correspondence July 25, 1962

Albany, GA

Following the arrests of Dr. King and three others who held a prayer vigil at the Albany, Georgia City Hall, Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker issues this appeal for support from those active in the civil rights movement. He calls for telegrams to be sent to federal, state, and local officials, prayer vigils, and the wearing of black armbands.

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Letter from John Dempsey to S. Ernest Vandiver

Correspondence July 30, 1962

Albany, GA, Connecticut (CT), Atlanta, GA

Connecticut governor John Dempsey writes to Georgia governor S. Earnest Vandiver expressing his concern for the safety of Dr. King and his associates.

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Memorandum

Correspondence September 7, 1960

Atlanta, GA, Tennessee (TN), Little Rock, AR, Montgomery, AL, SOUTH AFRICA, Washington, D.C., Alabama (AL), Mississippi (MS), New Orleans, LA, Texas (TX), South Carolina (SC), Virginia (VA)

This memorandum, sent to Dr. King, expresses the need for a convocation between Negro and white Southern leaders. Recent developments, such as peaceful integration of lunch counters and schools, show that whites are respecting equal rights of Negro citizens more.