Millard Caldwell

Millard Fillmore Caldwell
29th Governor of Florida
In office January 2, 1945 – January 4, 1949
Preceded by	Spessard Holland
Succeeded by	Fuller Warren
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 3rd district
In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1941
Preceded by	Tom A. Yon
Succeeded by	Robert L. F. Sikes
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
In office 1929–1932
Personal details
Born	February 6, 1897 Beverly, Tennessee, United States
Died	October 23, 1984 (aged 87) Tallahassee, Florida
Resting place	Blackwood-Harwood Plantations Tallahassee, Florida
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Harwood Caldwell
Children	3
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1918-1919
Rank	First Lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War I

Millard Fillmore Caldwell (February 6, 1897 – October 23, 1984) was an American politician. He was the 29th Governor of Florida (1945–1949) and served in all three branches of government at various times in his life, including as a U.S. Representative and Florida Supreme Court justice.

Biography

Caldwell was born in the rural area of Beverly, Tennessee, outside Knoxville. There he attended public schools and attended Carson-Newman College, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Virginia. During World War I, Caldwell enlisted in the U.S. Army on April 3, 1918. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery, and was discharged on January 11, 1919.

Caldwell was married to Mary Harwood Caldwell; the couple's three children were Susan, Millard, and Sally. Caldwell moved to Milton, Florida in 1924, practicing law there.

Career

Portrait of Caldwell

In 1926, Caldwell began serving as prosecutor and county attorney of Santa Rosa County; in 1929, he was elected as a Democrat to the state House, where he was a member until 1932.

That year, Caldwell was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 3rd congressional district. He took office on March 4, 1933, and served four terms, ending on January 3, 1941.

In 1944, Caldwell was elected governor of Florida. Taking office in 1945, Caldwell's term is noted for his segregationist beliefs, as well as his support for road construction projects and the establishment of the Educational Minimum Foundation Program, which gave education funds to rural counties. One of the more colorful aspects of Caldwell's term came on August 10, 1945, during the surrender of Japan in World War II, when Caldwell issued a proclamation urging bars and other alcohol-selling establishments to close in order to prevent a frenzy of drunken celebration in the streets.

After leaving office in 1949, Caldwell was appointed the administrator of the Federal Civil Defense Administration by then-President Harry S. Truman in 1950. After leaving this post in 1952, Caldwell served as a justice – and later chief justice – on the State Supreme Court from 1962 to 1969.

On May 14, 1953, Caldwell was initiated as an Honorary brother in the Alpha Phi chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi at the University of Florida

Death

Caldwell died in Tallahassee on October 23, 1984. He is interred at Blackwood-Harwood Plantations Cemetery in Leon County in Tallahassee, Florida.

During his life, Caldwell was a member of the Newcomen Society, Freemasons, Shriners, Elks, and Knights of Pythias. He was also a member of Kappa Sigma and Phi Alpha Delta.

See also

• List of Governors of Tennessee

External links

• United States Congress. "Millard Caldwell (id: C000038)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Find A Grave
• National Governors Association