Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-14
BY ISABELLE SHELTON


MY hams, my two boys
and my husband-that's my
life"
So says tawny haired,
brown-eyed Betty Talmadge,
whose husband, former Geor-
gia Gov. Herman Talmadge,
probably will be Georgia's jun
Tor Senator here next jan
uary. replacing the retiring
Senator Walter George.
Mr.. Talmadge, who stepped
front and center on the ma
tional political scene last week
as a result of Senator Georges
withdrawal from the senator
tal race, came to Washington
over the week end to appear
on Meet the. Press" and at
tend the Gridiron dinner. Mrs.
Talmadge Joined the Gridiron
widows" at their dinner.
The Talmadges live on a
2,500-acre Lovejoy tGa.) farm
which formerly belonged to
Herman's late father, Gene,
an earlier Governor of Geor-
gia. widely known as a red
gallused. tobacco chewing,
highly-vocal advocate of white
supremacy.
Herman and Betty and
their two sons, Gene, 13, and
Bobby. 10, live in pre-Civil
War white-pillared mansion
on the farm. The young for
mer Governor (he's Az takes
care of the politicking and
also oversees the farms dairy,
while Betty 1922 has her own
lucrative Sideline, processing
country hams"
Financial Ballast
The business, which ships
a sizeable quantity of real
country-cured hams" Mrs.
Talmadge says, helps to keep
the family on an even financial
keel. Herman is too busy with
politics to practice much law"
she explains.
But while she runs the ham
processing business, Il don't
take credit fer getting into it. +"
she says. Herman actually
put me into it. He brought
home two hogs about five years
ago, and said we would have a
"hog killing"
I'm a country girl tborn in
AShburn. Ca and ] remember
hog-killing time as an impor-
tant part of farm life. But
when it came to doing some
thing about those two hogs. l
found l didn't know one end
from the other. There were
seven people working tor us
then. / asked them all what to
do. I got seven different an
swers. / was on the phone with
my mother and Herman's. and
they had still other ideas.
Like TOpsy"
Anyhow, we got them done
somehow and did some more.
People got to Dragging about
my hams. Then Herman built
me a house and put a little
refrigerator unit in it. Before
I knew it ! was in business. 1t
sort of grew like TopSy We've
expanded twice, and still can't
keep up with the business"
Each of her hams is hand
rubbed twice with mixture of
salt, sugar and spice. she said
The entire process takes eight
months. She already is buying
hogs for this years Christmas
trade. which is quite brisk, she
added.
I'VE don't advertise much
because we can't afford it,
she said. Il get interviewed
on a lot of TV programs down
home. Sometimes we buy q
little TV time. l try to gel
Herman to put in plug fol
the hams whenever he can.
III never forget the nigh
he went on Kate Smiths pro,
gram in New York. Just befor,
he left l reminded him t,
mention the hams if he 60
a chance. I said: After all
Senator Byrd never made |
speech without mentioning hi
apples Herman said he'd try
ION the program someon
asked him what he ate TO
breakfast. I thought, ah. here
his opportunity.
He said. Eggs Ill neve
forget it.
But he's done pretty we
since then" she added wit
wifely pride.
Mrs. Talmadge doesn't kno,
what she will do about he
ham business if her husban
comes to the Senate mex
January.
I'll worry about that whe,
and if the time comes" sh
said. Its a long time of
But / would have to find some