Thomas LeRoy Collins (March 10, 1909 - March 12, 1991) was the thirty-third
Governor of
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
.
LeRoy Collins was born and raised in
Tallahassee, FloridaTallahassee is the capital of the State of Florida, USA, the county seat of Leon County , and the 133rd biggest city in the USA. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida in 1824. In 2008, the population recorded by the U.S...
, where he attended
Leon High SchoolLeon High School is a public high school in Tallahassee, Florida. For the 2007-2008 school year, the Florida Department of Education gave the school an "A" rating after its students scored well above the state average on standardized tests in reading and in math...
. He went on to attend the
Eastman Business CollegeThe Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York.It was founded in 1859 by Harvey G. Eastman, and was for a time one of the largest commercial schools in the United States....
in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and then went on to the Cumberland Law School in
Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County and includes part of Shelby County. According to a 2007 estimate, the city had a population of 229,800 The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, as of the 2008 census estimates,...
to receive a law degree. In 1932, he married
Mary Call DarbyMary Call Darby Collins the widow of Governor LeRoy Collins and First Lady of Florida from 1955-1961.Mary Call was born in New York City, New York, the only child and daughter of Thomas Arthur Darby and Jane Kirkman Brevard. Brevard being the daughter of Theodore Washington Brevard Jr. and Mary...
, great-granddaughter of
Richard K. CallRichard Keith Call was the third and fifth territorial governor of Florida.Named after his uncle, a Revolutionary War hero, he was born in Pittsfield, Prince George County, Virginia. In 1813 he left school to take part in the Creek War. He came favorably to the attention of General Andrew Jackson,...
, twice Territorial Governor of Florida.
His entry into public service began in 1934, when he was elected as
Leon County'sLeon County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its population in July 2008 was estimated to be about 264,000. The principal place in Leon County is Tallahassee, the county seat and state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major public universities, Florida A&M...
representative in the
Florida House of RepresentativesThe Florida Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution mandates a bicameral state legislature with an upper house Florida Senate of 40 members and a lower Florida House of Representatives of 120 members...
.
Thomas LeRoy Collins (March 10, 1909 - March 12, 1991) was the thirty-third
Governor of
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
.
Early life
LeRoy Collins was born and raised in
Tallahassee, FloridaTallahassee is the capital of the State of Florida, USA, the county seat of Leon County , and the 133rd biggest city in the USA. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida in 1824. In 2008, the population recorded by the U.S...
, where he attended
Leon High SchoolLeon High School is a public high school in Tallahassee, Florida. For the 2007-2008 school year, the Florida Department of Education gave the school an "A" rating after its students scored well above the state average on standardized tests in reading and in math...
. He went on to attend the
Eastman Business CollegeThe Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York.It was founded in 1859 by Harvey G. Eastman, and was for a time one of the largest commercial schools in the United States....
in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and then went on to the Cumberland Law School in
Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County and includes part of Shelby County. According to a 2007 estimate, the city had a population of 229,800 The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, as of the 2008 census estimates,...
to receive a law degree. In 1932, he married
Mary Call DarbyMary Call Darby Collins the widow of Governor LeRoy Collins and First Lady of Florida from 1955-1961.Mary Call was born in New York City, New York, the only child and daughter of Thomas Arthur Darby and Jane Kirkman Brevard. Brevard being the daughter of Theodore Washington Brevard Jr. and Mary...
, great-granddaughter of
Richard K. CallRichard Keith Call was the third and fifth territorial governor of Florida.Named after his uncle, a Revolutionary War hero, he was born in Pittsfield, Prince George County, Virginia. In 1813 he left school to take part in the Creek War. He came favorably to the attention of General Andrew Jackson,...
, twice Territorial Governor of Florida.
Politics
His entry into public service began in 1934, when he was elected as
Leon County'sLeon County is a county located in the state of Florida. Its population in July 2008 was estimated to be about 264,000. The principal place in Leon County is Tallahassee, the county seat and state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major public universities, Florida A&M...
representative in the
Florida House of RepresentativesThe Florida Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution mandates a bicameral state legislature with an upper house Florida Senate of 40 members and a lower Florida House of Representatives of 120 members...
. He continued to serve in the House until 1940, when he was elected to the Florida Senate to fill an unexpired term of the late William Hodges.
In 1941, he purchased the home built by Richard K. Call in
TallahasseeTallahassee is the capital of the State of Florida, USA, the county seat of Leon County , and the 133rd biggest city in the USA. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida in 1824. In 2008, the population recorded by the U.S...
, "The Grove", which is located across the street north of the official Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee. He was re-elected in 1942, but resigned to fight in the
United States NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, he was elected once again to the Florida Senate in 1946. He was reelected in 1950, serving until 1954 when a special election was held to fill the remaining two years in the term of Governor
Daniel T. McCartyDaniel Thomas McCarty was the thirty-first governor of Florida.-Early life:Dan McCarty was born in Fort Pierce, Florida, the son of a prominent local family, and grew up in a large house on Indian River Drive just south of the present courthouse in downtown Fort Pierce. He attended local public...
, who had died in office in 1953.
Collins twice received title of
Most Valuable Senator (the first time in 1947 by the Capital Press Corps and in 1953 by fellow lawmakers).
Governorship
After Governor
Daniel T. McCartyDaniel Thomas McCarty was the thirty-first governor of Florida.-Early life:Dan McCarty was born in Fort Pierce, Florida, the son of a prominent local family, and grew up in a large house on Indian River Drive just south of the present courthouse in downtown Fort Pierce. He attended local public...
died just nine months after accession to the office on September 28, 1953 (he suffered a debilitating heart attack on February 25),
Florida SenateThe Florida Senate is part of the legislative branch of government for the state of Florida. There are 40 members in the senate. Generally, Senators in odd-numbered districts are elected in years divisible by four , and Senators in even-numbered districts are elected alongside elections for...
President Charles Eugene Johns became
Acting GovernorAn acting governor is a constitutional position created in some U.S. states when the governor dies in office or resigns. In some states, the governor may also be declared to be incapacitated and unable to function for various reasons, including illness and absence from the state for more than a...
to serve until a special election (at that time, Florida had no
Lieutenant GovernorThe Lieutenant Governor of Florida is a constitutional statewide elected office in the U.S. State of Florida. According to the Florida Constitution, the lieutenant governor is elected to a four-year term congruent with that of the Governor of Florida....
).
Collins challenged Johns in the Democratic primary and won the nomination. Due to near domination by the Democratic Party in the South, a primary win was tantamount to a general election victory. Collins was sworn in as governor on January 4, 1955. In 1956, he was reelected to serve a regular four-year term, which made him the first Governor of Florida to serve two consecutive terms.
In the 1956 election, he made history by becoming the first governor to win election in the first
primary electionA primary election , also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election...
, defeating five other candidates. During his term, Collins focused on education, working to strengthen the state's school system. In the racial unrest of his time he took a moderate course, counseling progress under law, and the state experienced only minimal disorder.
Although he initially condemned the U. S. Supreme Court's decision in
Brown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court, which overturned earlier rulings going back to Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, by declaring that state laws that established separate public schools for black and white students denied...
of
TopekaTopeka is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. The population was 122,377 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated...
as did almost all Southern elected officials, he fought with the Florida Legislature to attempt to prevent them from passing an "
interpositionInterposition, in the context of the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, refers to an asserted right of U.S. states to protect their individual interests from federal violation or any abridgement of states' rights deemed by those states to be dangerous or unconstitutional.In the words of the...
" resolution which indicated the intent of the legislature to "interpose" itself between the citizens of Florida and the United States government to prevent what the legislature contended was an illegal intrusion upon the right of the state by imposing integration.
He utilized a little-known provision of the state constitution by unilaterally adjourning the legislature to prevent it from passing the resolution the first time. After the legislature returned and passed the resolution, he had no power to
vetoA veto, Latin for "I forbid", is used to denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a piece of legislation. In practice, the veto can be absolute A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is used to denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a piece of legislation....
it, because it was not a law but only a
resolutionA resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion. For long or important motions, though, it is often better to have them written out so that discussion is easier or so that it can be...
expressing the sense of the legislature.
However, as it passed through his office, he wrote upon the interposition resolution, the following statement, in his own handwriting:
"This concurrent resolution of 'Interposition' crosses the Governor's desk as a matter of routine. I have no authority to veto it. I take this means however to advise the student of government, who may examine this document in the archives of the state in the years to come that the Governor of Florida expressed open and vigorous opposition thereto. I feel that the U. S. Supreme Court has improperly usurped powers reserved to the states under the constitution. I have joined in protesting such and in seeking legal means of avoidance. But if this resolution declaring the decisions of the court to be 'null and void' is to be taken seriously, it is anarchy and rebellion against the nation which must remain 'indivisible under God' if it is to survive. Not only will I not condone 'interposition' as so many have sought me to do, I decry it as an evil thing, whipped up by the demagogues and carried on the hot and erratic winds of passion, prejudice, and hysteria. If history judges me right this day, I want it known that I did my best to avert this blot. If I am judged wrong, then here in my own handwriting and over my signature is the proof of guilt to support my conviction. LeRoy Collins, Governor." May 2, 1957.
The original interposition resolution can today be found at the State Archives of Florida.
Collins became Chairman of the Southern Governors Association in 1957.
Governor Collins fell just a few votes short of persuading the first Constitution Revision Commission to send an amendment to voters to abolish
capital punishmentCapital punishment or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences....
. He recalled about his proposal to end the death penalty in Florida that every time an execution was carried out under his order, it left him feeling nearly as guilty as the murderers. It is noteworthy that his two immediate successors, C. Farris Bryan and Haydon Burns, also opposed the death penalty..
Presidential and Vice Presidential possibilities
During the
1956 Democratic National ConventionThe 1956 National Convention of the Democratic Party nominated former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois for President and Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee for Vice President. It was held in the International Amphitheatre on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois August 13–17, 1956. Unsuccessful...
Collins was among contenders for the
Vice PresidentialThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term...
nomination, when Presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson II allowed the convention to chose his running-mate. Collins received 29 votes on the first ballot.
Before the
1960 presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 1960 marked the end of Dwight D. Eisenhower's two terms as President. Eisenhower's Vice President, Richard Nixon, who had transformed his office into a national political base, was the Republican candidate....
Collins was seriously considered as a possible candidate because of his popularity as a southern Governor, who was acceptable to Northern liberals because of his support for civil rights. However, he did not seek the nomination, even in the Florida primary, which went to
favorite sonA favorite son is a political term that can refer to two different types of politicians:*A politician whose electoral appeal derives from his or her regional appeal, rather than his or her political views...
candidate Senator
George SmathersGeorge Armistead Smathers was an American lawyer and politician who represented Florida in the United States Senate for eighteen years, from 1951 until 1969, as a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...
.
Chairman of the 1960 Democratic National Convention
Collins served as a chairman of the
1960 Democratic National ConventionThe 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles. In the end, the Kennedy-Johnson ticket was assembled and went on to secure an electoral college victory and a narrow popular vote plurality in the fall over the Republican candidates Richard M...
, which nominated Senator
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
of
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
for President and Senate Majority Leader
Lyndon B. JohnsonLyndon Baines Johnson , served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969 after his service as the Vice President of the United States from 1961 to 1963...
of
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
for Vice President.
Post-governorship
Upon completion of six years as governor, he became president of the
National Association of BroadcastersThe National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
. He resigned this at the request of President Lyndon B. Johnson to become the first Director of the
Community Relations ServiceThe United States Department of Justice is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans...
under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Also by Presidential appointment, he became
Under Secretary of CommerceThe United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
on July 7, 1965. He resigned this position effective October 1, 1966 to return to Florida and become a partner in a
TampaTampa is a Gulf Coast city in Hillsborough County, on the west coast of the state of Florida in the United States. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. The population of Tampa in 2000 was 303,447...
law firm.
He was successful in obtaining the Democratic nomination for the
U.S. SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
in the primary elections of 1968 but was defeated in the general election. In the general election campaign against Edward Gurney, a photograph of Collins walking alongside Rev.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he is frequently referenced as a human rights icon today. King is recognized as a martyr...
during the
SelmaSelma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census. The city is best known for the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement and its Selma to Montgomery marches, three civil rights...
march was widely distributed to Florida voters by Gurney's supporters. The photograph contained no caption or other explanation of what Collins was doing in
SelmaSelma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census. The city is best known for the 1965 Selma Voting Rights Movement and its Selma to Montgomery marches, three civil rights...
leaving that open to the imagination of the voter. In fact, Collins had not been participating the march, but was shuttling back and forth between the marchers and the Alabama authorities to attempt to craft a compromise which would avoid violence. He conducted these negotiations as a part of his job as head of the Community Relations Service. He was successful in these negotiations as violence was averted when the marchers crossed the bridge, prayed, and then returned back to the other side.
After his defeat, he left his law firm in Tampa and returned to "The Grove" in Tallahassee until his death from cancer in 1991. He was called the greatest Governor that Florida ever had many times by Florida governors Reubin Askew,
Bob GrahamDaniel Robert "Bob" Graham is an American politician. He was the governor of Florida from 1979 to 1987 and a United States Senator from that state from 1987 to 2005...
, and
Jeb BushJohn Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the younger brother of former President George W. Bush; the older brother of Neil Bush, Marvin Bush and Dorothy Bush Koch; and the second son of former President...
. A tribute was entered in the official record of the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
on March 19, 1991 by Florida Representatives James Bacchus and Charles E. Bennett.
Family
His son, LeRoy Collins, Jr., a retired US Navy
Rear AdmiralRear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "Admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "Flag officers" and/or "Flag ranks"...
, unsuccessfully sought the
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
nomination for
United States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
from Florida in 2006, losing to
Katherine HarrisKatherine Harris is an American Republican politician, former Secretary of State of Florida, and former member of the United States House of Representatives. Harris won the 2002 election to represent Florida's 13th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She held that post...
, who was in turn defeated by Democratic
incumbentThe incumbent, in politics, is the holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Bill NelsonClarence William "Bill" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Florida. Nelson is a member of the Democratic Party. Nelson became the second sitting member of the United States Congress to fly in space when he flew aboard the as a Payload Specialist during NASA mission STS-61-C...
.
External links