In 1956 Herman Talmadge was elected to the first of four terms in the U.S. Senate. Joining Richard B. Russel jr as georgias jr senator he quickly established a reputation as a foe for desegregation and civil rights legislation A]fter his long years of Senate service, Talmadge was defeated for reelection in 1980. A combination of factors led to his downfall. One was his self-admitted alcoholism, which spiraled out of control after his son, Bobby, drowned in 1975. More destructive to his career, though, were allegations of financial misconduct n 1979 the Senate denounced him for "reprehensible" behavior. He was charged with accepting more than $43,000 for reimbursement of expenses not incurred. At that time Talmadge and his wife, Betty, were going through a bitter divorce, and Betty Talmadge testified against her former husband before the Senate Ethics Committee. Talmadge's personal, marital, and financial troubles strengthened a tough challenge from Lieutenant Governor Zell Miller for the Democratic nomination in 1980. Although Talmadge won renomination in a runoff, he was sufficiently weakened to be vulnerable in the general election, where he was defeated by Republican Mack Mattingly. Talmadge later admitted that he had underestimated the change in Georgia politics.After his defeat Talmadge kept mostly out of the public eye, retiring to his home in Hampton, in Henry County. Always conservative, the lifelong Democrat quietly supported Republican Johnny Isakson's 1990 gubernatorial run. His health declined in the late 1990s, and he died at his home on March 21, 2002, at the age of eighty-eight.
