Doyle E. Carlton

Doyle E. Carlton
25th Governor of Florida
In office January 8, 1929 – January 3, 1933
Preceded by	John W. Martin
Succeeded by	David Sholtz
Member of the Florida Senate from the 11th District
In office 1916 – 1918
Personal details
Born	Doyle Elam Carlton (1885-07-06)July 6, 1885 Wauchula, Florida
Died	October 25, 1972(1972-10-25) (aged 87) Tampa, Florida
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Nell Ray Carlton
Children	Martha Katharine Carlton Ward Mary Ellen Carlton Ott Doyle Elam Carlton, Jr.
Profession	Attorney, Politician

Doyle Elam Carlton, Sr. (July 6, 1885 – October 25, 1972) was an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of the state of Florida.

Early life

Doyle Elam Carlton, the son of Albert and Martha Winfield McEwen Carlton, was born in Wauchula, Florida on July 6, 1885. He was born eighth out of ten children. He received his primary education in Wauchula and, as there was then no local high school, attended Stetson Academy where he served as an editor for the school newspaper and officer of the Phi Kappa Delta Society (later to become Delta Sigma Phi). He subsequently graduated from the Liberal Arts College of Stetson University with an A.B. in 1909. Doyle then attended The University of Chicago where he received an A.B. in 1910. He earned his L.L.B. in 1912 from Columbia University of the city of New York. In 1912, he was admitted to the practice of law in Florida and practiced law in Tampa beginning in that year. On July 30, 1912, in Tampa, Doyle married Nell Ray, daughter of Edward Dennis and Mary Ellen Smith Ray.

Early political career

His political career began in 1916 when he was elected to the Florida state senate for a two-year term as the State Senator from the 11th District, composed of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Governor

In the Democratic primary on June 5, 1928 he received 77,569 first choice and 28,471 second choice votes to win in a field of five candidates, who included former Governor Sidney J. Catts. In November 1928, Doyle defeated his Republican opponent, William John Howey, by a margin of 148,455 votes to 95,018 votes. He assumed the office of governor on January 8, 1929. During his term, he faced several financial problems caused by the Great Depression. He had to reduce payrolls and cut many state jobs in an attempt to reduce the state's budget. He also faced other problems, helping the state through them all. The collapse of the state's land boom, a violent hurricane hit the state, a Mediterranean Tephritidae infestation, and the Great Depression began during his term. He left office on January 3, 1933, returning to Tampa, Florida. In 1936 Governor Carlton ran for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator. Although he was endorsed by the Democratic executive committee and most state newspapers, Charles O. Andrews lined up a powerful bloc of forces opposed to Carlton, and by a margin of 67,387 votes to 62,530 votes defeated Governor Carlton in the primary of August 11, 1936.

Personal life

On July 30, 1912, Carlton married Nell Ray in Tampa. He died in Tampa in 1972 and was buried at Myrtle Hill Memorial Park in Tampa. They had three children, Martha Katharine Carlton Ward, Mary Ellen Carlton Ott, and Doyle Elam Carlton, Jr., all of whom are deceased. The latter served as a state senator and ran for Governor of Florida in 1960, but was defeated in the Democratic primary run-off election by C. Farris Bryant.

External links

• Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~crackerbarrel/Carl6.html Rootwebs
• Doyle E. Carlton at Find a Grave