Melvin E. Thompson
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As state revenue commissioner, Melvin E. Thompson recommended the purchase of Jekyll Island, and as governor he moved forward with the state's acquisition of the island in 1947. Although taunted by his political foe Herman Talmadge, who dubbed the project "Thompson’s Folly," Thompson refused to give up on the creation of a state beach park for the "plain people of Georgia." In recognition of his work on the project, the Jekyll Island Bridge was named in his honor in 1989.
Courtesy of Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, M.E. Thompson Papers.
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