Key Figures During WWIIOnline version Who were the key historical figures from WWII? by Aaron Stinson 1 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 2 Eugene Talmadge 3 Carl Vinson 4 Richard B. Russell Responsible for the New Deal Encourage congress to pass the Lend Lease Act Visited Warm Springs to help treat his polio President during the great depression Governor of Georgia durring the deperession White Supremacist Fought the New Deal Fought desegregation of UGA Served in the United States House of Representative Supported a two ocean navy brought many military bases and manufacturing to Georgia. legislator, governor of Georgia, and U.S. senator best known for his efforts to strengthen the national defense Centers for Disease Control and Prevention secured passage of the National School Lunch Program in 1946.