Lester Garfield Maddox, Sr. (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003), was an
American politician who was the
75th Governor of the
U.S. state of
Georgia from 1967 to 1971. A
populist Democrat, Maddox came to prominence as a staunch
segregationist, when he refused to serve black customers in his Atlanta restaurant, in defiance of the Civil Rights Act. Yet as Governor, he oversaw notable improvements in black employment. Later he served as Lieutenant Governor under
Jimmy Carter.