A New Governor and a New Deal

Text

Editor’s Note: After his time in Georgia’s House of Representatives, that began when he was twenty-three, Richard ran for Governor. He would win the election and be sworn into office by his father in June of 1931. During his time in office he became defined as a progressive governor where a good portion of his policies focused on agriculture in Georgia and other long-term investments, such as education and infrastructure.

With education, one of Russell’s major accomplishments was assigning strong appointments to the Board of Regents. These appointments, he hoped, would help create a better university system for the state of Georgia. These efforts were all a part of Russell’s attempt at reorganizing the state government, which most people had agreed needed to be done.