Cocking Affair

The momentum Boyd began in 1926 to establish scientific research at UGA was slowed by two major historical events.

The first was the Cocking Affair in 1941, when Governor Eugene Talmadge fired professors, administrators, and Board of Regents members for promoting racial equality. It is so named the Cocking Affair as the dean of the College of Education, Walter Cocking, was the main target. This mass firing throughout the university system led to the loss of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.