Richard Russel and Carl Vinson:
Richard Russel tried to run the state government like a successful business. He consolidated 102 different state offices into 17 agencies. He also created the Board of Regions for the state’s college system. After his term of Governor was completed, he was elected to the U.S. Senate where he served for 38 years. It’s impossible to review World War II without examining the contributions of one of Georgia’s most influential leaders, Carl Vinson. He is often referred to as the “father of the two-ocean navy.” He served twenty-five consecutive terms representing Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1914 to 1965. Vinson, a native of Baldwin County, served as chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee for 16 years and its successor, the House Armed Services Committee for 14 years. Even before World War II, Georgia’s economy had grown to depend heavily on the state’s military installations, and Vinson represented Georgia’s interest in the military through his committee work. Vinson was a major influence in promoting a strong national defense. Alarmed by rising tensions in Europe, President Roosevelt and Vinson worked to increase the country’s military readiness. Almost two years before Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Vinson maneuvered two important bills through Congress. One bill expanded the naval aviation system to 10,000 planes, trained 16,000 pilots, and established 20 air bases. The second piece of legislation eased labor restrictions in the shipbuilding industry and allowed faster construction of navy ships. Even after World War II, Vinson continued his dominance in Congress, pushing for a strong defense throughout the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Carl Vinson the Presidential Medal of Carl Vinson, Father of the Two-Ocean Navy Freedom. After serving for over 50 years in the nation’s Congress, Vinson retired to his Milledgeville farm in 1965. In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon honored Vinson by naming the country’s third nuclear carrier for him. He died in 1981.
Richard Russel tried to run the state government like a successful business. He consolidated 102 different state offices into 17 agencies. He also created the Board of Regions for the state’s college system. After his term of Governor was completed, he was elected to the U.S. Senate where he served for 38 years. It’s impossible to review World War II without examining the contributions of one of Georgia’s most influential leaders, Carl Vinson. He is often referred to as the “father of the two-ocean navy.” He served twenty-five consecutive terms representing Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1914 to 1965. Vinson, a native of Baldwin County, served as chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee for 16 years and its successor, the House Armed Services Committee for 14 years. Even before World War II, Georgia’s economy had grown to depend heavily on the state’s military installations, and Vinson represented Georgia’s interest in the military through his committee work. Vinson was a major influence in promoting a strong national defense. Alarmed by rising tensions in Europe, President Roosevelt and Vinson worked to increase the country’s military readiness. Almost two years before Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Vinson maneuvered two important bills through Congress. One bill expanded the naval aviation system to 10,000 planes, trained 16,000 pilots, and established 20 air bases. The second piece of legislation eased labor restrictions in the shipbuilding industry and allowed faster construction of navy ships. Even after World War II, Vinson continued his dominance in Congress, pushing for a strong defense throughout the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Carl Vinson the Presidential Medal of Carl Vinson, Father of the Two-Ocean Navy Freedom. After serving for over 50 years in the nation’s Congress, Vinson retired to his Milledgeville farm in 1965. In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon honored Vinson by naming the country’s third nuclear carrier for him. He died in 1981.
