May Marie Erwin Talmadge (February 26, 1885 – August 2, 1973) was an American civic leader who served as the 19th president general of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

. She was the first president general of the national society from the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Her administration led the Daughters of the American Revolution through

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, donating money and resources to the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

. She attended the 1945

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Conference of International Organization and was appointed by U.S. president

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

to serve on the National Famine Emergency Council.

Early life

Talmadge was born May Marie Erwin on February 26, 1885 in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

to Harry Johnson Erwin and Mary A. Mills Erwin. Her mother was a founding member of the Judge David Campbell Chapter of the

in Chattanooga. She was a great-great granddaughter of Congressman Thomas Jefferson Campbell.

Public life and society

Talmadge was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the Colonial Dames of America, the Daughters of Barons of Runnymede, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and The Society of the Friends of St George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter. A Democrat, Talmadge served as a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

and in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

. In the 1950s, she worked with the Georgia State Board of Education, during a time when Georgia schools were being integrated. Some of her letters from this period, pertaining to racial policies, integration, and book banning, are housed in the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

Special Collections Library.

Daughters of the American Revolution

Talmadge was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution for over sixy-two years. She served as chapter regent of the Elijah Clarke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution from 1916 to 1919. Talmadge served as the society's State Regent of Georgia from 1924 to 1926. She was elected as the nineteenth president general of the society, serving from 1944 to 1947. She was the first president general to be elected from Georgia. In 1945, during

, Talmadge complied with the Office of Defense Transportation's wartime restrictions on civilian organizations by cancelling the 54th NSDAR Continental Congress, which was scheduled to convene in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in April of that year. In March 1945, Talmadge said of the cancellation of congress, "It will be a disappointment—but not a hardship—for no sacrifice is too great for the DAR Society to make, if it means added comfort and convenience to our service men traveling to and from their line of duty." She held an extended National Board of Management meeting for the DAR in April 1945 to ensure that national officers, national chairs, and state regents would be able to deliver their annual reports. Talmadge oversaw the authorization of over $50,000 in financial contributions to various state-level chapters of the

for vehicle purchases and their blood plasma program. Through the DAR War Fund, her administration directed the purchase of X-ray units for

hospital ships A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...

and field ambulances and the donation of over 600 two-way radio sets for bedridden patients. They also donated more than thirty motion picture machines to hospitals. Talmadge attended the

Conference of International Organization in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 1945 as an observer. Following the end of the war in September 1945, Talmadge held the 55th NSDAR Continental Congress away from Memorial Continental Hall, instead hosting it at the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

in May 1956. During her opening address, she said, "The task of rebuilding awaits. We are strong. Let us go forward in our aim together—and God bless you in every step." As the war had ended, Talmadge redirected the remaining money in the war fund to go to Tamassee DAR School and Kate Duncan Smith DAR School. President

appointed Talmadge to the National Famine Emergency Council. She was also invited by the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

to attend a two-day visitation and inspection of the Universal Military Training Experimental Unit at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...

. Talmadge's project, as president general, was the construction of the bell tower at

Valley Forge Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. It was the t ...

, which the DAR raised $125,000 for the construction of. She also established the DAR Press Relations Office and its corresponding annual publication, ''Press Digest'', focusing on portraying the national society in a more positive light following the

controversy Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an op ...

regarding the DAR's refusal to allow

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...

to perform at DAR Constitution Hall. She was elected as honorary president general in 1947, following the end of her term as president general.

Personal life

Talmadge was a member of the Presbyterian Church. She was married to Julius Young Talmadge, a businessman. They had one son, Captain Harry Erwin Talmadge, a doctor and military officer. The family lived in a Colonial Revival mansion in

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

. Talmadge died in Athens in 1973. She was buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery. Her grave was marked with a memorial by the Georgia State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1975.

Legacy

A historical marker for Talmadge was placed by her home in Athens in 2001. The Mary Erwin Talmadge Auditorium at the Tamassee DAR School in Tamassee, South Carolina, is named in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talmadge, May Erwin 1885 births 1973 deaths 19th-century American women 20th-century American women American Legion Auxiliary American socialites American women civilians in World War II Burials at Oconee Hill Cemetery Colonial Dames of America Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy People from Athens, Georgia People from Chattanooga, Tennessee Presbyterians from Georgia (U.S. state) Presbyterians from Tennessee Presidents General of the Daughters of the American Revolution State Regents of the Daughters of the American Revolution

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...