LeRoy Collins

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LeRoy Collins

Thomas LeRoy Collins (March 10, 1909 - March 12, 1991) was the thirty-third governor of Florida.

1 Early life
2 Politics
3 Governorship
4 Post-governorship
5 External links

[edit] Early life

LeRoy Collins was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he attended Leon High School. He went on to attend the Eastman School of Business in New York and then went on to the Cumberland Law School in Birmingham, Alabama to receive a law degree. In 1932, he married Mary Call Darby, great-granddaughter of Richard K. Call, twice Territorial Governor of Florida.

[edit] Politics

His entry into public service began in 1934, when he was elected as Leon County's representative to the Florida House. He continued to serve in the House until 1940, when he was elected to the Florida Senate to fill an unexpired term. In 1941, he purchased the home built by Richard K. Call in Tallahassee, "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 U.S. Navy during World War II. 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 of Governor Daniel T. McCarty, who had died in office in 1953.

[edit] Governorship

He won the special election in 1954 and was sworn in as governor on January 4, 1955. In 1956, he was reelected to serve a regular four-year term. In the 1956 election, he made history by becoming the first governor to win election in the first primary 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, counselling 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 Education of Topeka as did literally all Southern elected officials, he fought with the Florida Legislature to attempt to prevent them from passing an "interposition" 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 now power to veto it, because it was not a law but only a resolution 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 'indevisible under God' if it is to survive. No only will I not condone 'interposition' as so many has sought me to do, I decry is 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.

Private burial service at the Grove cemetery for former Governor LeRoy Collins

[edit] Post-governorship

Upon completion of six years as governor, he became president of the National Association of Broadcasters. He resigned this at the request of President Lyndon B. Johnson to become the first Director of the Community Relations Service under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Also by Presidential appointment, he became Under Secretary of Commerce on July 7, 1965. He resigned this position effective October 1, 1966 to return to Florida and become a partner in a Tampa law firm.

He was successful in obtaining the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate 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 along side Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Selma 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 Selma 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 many times by Florida governors Reubin Askew and Bob Graham the greatest Governor that Florida ever had. A tribute was entered in the official record of the United States House of Representatives on March 19, 1991 by Florida Representatives James Bacchus and Charles E. Bennett.