2 Lester Maddox Pin Back Buttons 70's Era For Sale

Lester GarfieldMaddox(September 30,1915–June 25,2003) was anAmericansegregationistpolitician who wasGovernorof theU.S. stateofGeorgiafrom1967to1971.

Lester Maddox was borninAtlanta,Georgia. He dropped out of school and took acorrespondencecourse, ultimately opening the segregated"Pickrick" restaurant. He armed his white customers with pick handlesto use as weapons against any blacks that might seek service, and in later years,pick handles were sold as souvenirs.

When theCivilRights Act of 1964, which required integration ofpublicfacilities, passed, he sold the restaurantrather than integrate it.

He entered politics,running twice for Mayor of Atlanta and once for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia,losing each time.

He ran as theDemocraticPartynominee forGovernor ofGeorgiain1966, and received fewer votes thanRepublicannomineeHoward Callaway, but the large number of write-in votes prevented Callawayfrom attaining a majority. The election was decided by the state legislature,which was under Democratic Party control, and so Maddox became Governor,serving from 1967 to 1971. His chief of staff wasZell Miller, who himself became Governor in 1991.

After his term as Governor,he became Lieutenant Governor whileJimmy Carterwas Governor. Maddox ran again for governor in 1974and lost: when Carter ran for President in 1976, Maddox ran against him as thenominee of theAmerican Independent Party,but got few votes.

His political career over,he had a short-lived nightclub comedy career with a black man he had pardonedfrom jail while he was governor. They called themselves "The Governor andtheDishwasher."

Maddox was diagnosedwithcancerin1983, and had intestinal surgeryand laterdiedofpneumoniain anAtlantahospiceJune 26, 2003.