Ellis Gibbs Arnall was born in Newnan on March 20, 1907, and became one of the most influential and progressive governors in Georgia history. After serving in the state legislature and as Georgia's attorney general, he was Georgia’s governor from 1943 to 1947. His most prominent accomplishment was reforming the state’s college education system after it had lost accreditation under former Governor Eugene Talmadge. Arnall believed that education was the hope of the future and the salvation of the people. His other achievements included establishing the University Regents system, modernizing the Georgia Constitution, and lowering the voting age to 18.