Fuller Warren
| Fuller Warren | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 30th Governor of Florida | |
| In office January 4, 1949 – January 6, 1953 |
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| Preceded by | Millard F. Caldwell |
| Succeeded by | Daniel T. McCarty |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 3, 1905 Blountstown, Florida |
| Died | September 23, 1973 (aged 67) Miami, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sallie Mae Stegall Pat Pacetti Barbara Manning |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Baptist |
Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905 – September 23, 1973) was the 30th Governor of Florida.
Contents |
Before 1949 [edit]
Born in Blountstown, Florida, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville. While at the University of Florida, he was one of the early members of Florida Blue Key and was a member of the Tau Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity. While attending the university, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives at the age of 21 in 1927.[1] Following graduation, he moved to Jacksonville, Florida and began practicing law. He served on the city council from 1931 until 1937 and returned to the Florida House in 1939. During World War II, he was a gunnery officer in the U.S. Navy.
Term as governor [edit]
Warren's platform included promises to fight racism in Florida.[2]:108-9 Warren won the election and assumed the office of governor on January 4, 1949. After his election, he spoke out against the Klan, stating after a rally in January 1949 that
The hooded hoodlums and sheeted jerks who paraded the streets of Tallahassee last night made a disgusting and alarming spectacle. These covered cowards who call themselves Klansmen quite obviously have set out to terrorize minority groups in Florida as they have in a near-by state.[3]
It was revealed in March of 1949 that Warren himself had been a member of the Klan. He issued a statement saying that he had been a member before he had "helped to fight a war to destroy the Nazis — first cousins to Klansmen."[4]
During his term, he set the foundations for the state's turnpike system, began the Florida reforestation program, quality control programs on Florida's citrus crops were instituted and new laws were established that forbade cattle to wander freely. Warren signed an anti-Klan law in 1951 which, although not mentioning the Klan specifically, forbade the wearing of masks in public or on the private property of another person without the written permission of the owner.[5]
The hearings of the United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce, chaired by Senator Estes Kefauver, brought to light the involvement of Florida public officials in gambling-related corruption involving numbers games and bolita, as well as accusations that Warren's 1948 campaign had been funded by organized criminals.[2]:247-8 Warren refused to cooperate with the committee, claiming that to do so would contradict the principle of States' rights.[6] In a letter to Senator Herbert O'Conor, in which Warren informed the committee that he would not appear before them, he stated: "I think state sovereignty as conceived by the founders of our Government is something more than a fading memory to rest in the nation's archives."[7]
In 1951, a resolution to impeach Warren was introduced in the Florida House of Representatives[2]:248 for "wilfully ignoring" his duty to eliminate illegal gambling in Florida and for falsifying papers related to his 1948 campaign. The House voted to reject the articles of impeachment on May 28, 1951.[8]
Afterwards [edit]
After he left office on January 6, 1953 he moved to Miami, Florida and practiced law. He ran for governor again in 1956, promising "to maintain segregation in Florida."[9] However, he lost the election to LeRoy Collins. He died in Miami in 1973.[6]
The Fuller Warren Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida is named for him.
References [edit]
- ^ James C. Clark (1 September 2000). 200 Quick Looks at Florida History. Pineapple Press Inc. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-56164-200-7. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ a b c Gilbert King (6 March 2012). Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-209771-2. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ^ "Klan Fought in Florida: Gov. Warren Assails Marchers, Says He Will Ask Legal Ban". New York Times. 29 January 1949. p. 7.
- ^ "Official Once In The Klan: Florida Governor Says He Does All in Power to Stop It Now". New York Times. 16 March 1949. p. 30.
- ^ "Fuller Warren Signs Florida Anti-Klan Law". Chicago Defender. 19 May 1951. p. 11.
- ^ a b "Fuller Warren of Florida Dies; Served Two Terms as Governor: Elected While a Student". New York Times. 24 September 1973. p. 36.
- ^ "Florida Governor Defies Senators". New York Times. 3 July 1951. p. 1.
- ^ "Impeachment Step Beaten in Florida". New York Times. p. 17.
- ^ "Florida Ex-Governor to Run". New York Times. 22 February 1956. p. 21.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fuller Warren |
- Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
- A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Fuller Warren (October 3, 1952)" is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- Governor Fuller Warren. The Crisis. February 1952. p. 102. ISSN 00111422. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Millard F. Caldwell |
Governor of Florida 1949–1953 |
Succeeded by Daniel T. McCarty |
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