Cocking affair
Encyclopedia
The Cocking affair was an attempt in 1941 by Georgia governor Eugene Talmadge
to exert direct control over the state's educational system, particularly through the firing of Professor Walter Cocking
and the subsequent removal of members of the Georgia Board of Regents
who disagreed with the decision. It has been made into an opera entitled A Scholar Under Siege
.
) as the state could not take on Public Works Administration
(PWA) loans.
A compromise deal was reached; if the bill passed with the support of the regents, the state would provide funding to cover projects that would have been supported by PWA loans; however, Talmadge's effort to control the regents and the university system was relatively clear at the time.
, who was dean of the College of Education
at the University of Georgia
. Talmadge accused Cocking of championing integration
, in this case the admission of African American
students to historically all-white educational institutions. Talmadge declared that he would fire anyone who stood for "communism or racial equality". Among others, Talmadge fired Marvin Pittman, president of Georgia Teachers College (later known as Georgia Southern University
) for supporting Cocking against Talmadge.
Eugene Talmadge
Eugene Talmadge was a Democratic politician who served two terms as the 67th Governor of Georgia from 1933 to 1937, and a third term from 1941 to 1943. Elected to a fourth term in 1946, he died before taking office...
to exert direct control over the state's educational system, particularly through the firing of Professor Walter Cocking
Walter Cocking
Walter Cocking was an academic administrator and the namesake for the 1941 controversy, the Cocking affair.-Early life and education:Cocking was born in Iowa, and earned a doctorate from Columbia University in New York.-Early career:...
and the subsequent removal of members of the Georgia Board of Regents
Georgia Board of Regents
The Georgia Board of Regents oversees the University System of Georgia as part of the state government of Georgia in the United States. The University System of Georgia is composed of all state public institutions of higher education.-History:...
who disagreed with the decision. It has been made into an opera entitled A Scholar Under Siege
A Scholar Under Siege
A Scholar Under Siege is an opera in two acts by contemporary American composer Michael Braz. Braz also wrote the English language libretto for the opera which was composed for the centenary of Georgia Southern University...
.
Background
Governor Talmadge's first political interference was in 1935, when he supported a 1935 bill that would have given the governor additional control over funds appropriated to the Georgia Board of Regents; transferred the titles to all Board of Regents property to the state; and to absorb any trust funds or investments held by the university system. In addition to the obvious downsides for the university system, this would have made it difficult or impossible to fund building projects (such as the construction of a new gym at Georgia TechGeorgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
) as the state could not take on Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
(PWA) loans.
A compromise deal was reached; if the bill passed with the support of the regents, the state would provide funding to cover projects that would have been supported by PWA loans; however, Talmadge's effort to control the regents and the university system was relatively clear at the time.
Firing
Talmadge fired Walter CockingWalter Cocking
Walter Cocking was an academic administrator and the namesake for the 1941 controversy, the Cocking affair.-Early life and education:Cocking was born in Iowa, and earned a doctorate from Columbia University in New York.-Early career:...
, who was dean of the College of Education
University of Georgia College of Education
The University of Georgia College of Education is one of fifteen colleges and schools within the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States....
at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
. Talmadge accused Cocking of championing integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
, in this case the admission of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
students to historically all-white educational institutions. Talmadge declared that he would fire anyone who stood for "communism or racial equality". Among others, Talmadge fired Marvin Pittman, president of Georgia Teachers College (later known as Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...
) for supporting Cocking against Talmadge.
Consequences
As a result of the firings, all Georgia universities lost their accreditation. Students rallied, and Pittman and Cocking were eventually rehired. This incident also contributed to Talmadge's loss in the subsequent election.Further reading
- Bailes, Sue. "Eugene Talmadge and the Board Of Regents Controversy," Georgia Historical Quarterly, Winter 1969, Vol. 53 Issue 4, pp 409-423