Nat Glover

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Nathaniel Glover, Jr. (born March 29, 1943), known as Nat Glover, was the first African American sheriff in the U.S. state of Florida since the end of Reconstruction. [1] A political Democrat and a long-time police officer, Glover was elected Sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida in 1995, and went on to serve until 2003, when he decided to run for Mayor of Jacksonville. He was defeated by Republican candidate John Peyton, in the most expensive mayoral race in Jacksonville's history. If Glover had won, he would have become the first African-American mayor in Jacksonville's history.

Glover's campaign focused on education, economic development, and managing the city's growth. "Jacksonville is poised for greatness. I want to be the mayor that allows us to show the state how great we are," Nat Glover said. [2]

The campaign was briefly marred by racism. Matt Carlucci, a white Republican candidate, endorsed Glover after being defeated in the open primary. Afterwards, Carlucci's business was vandalized with racial slurs against Glover.

Glover graduated from Edward Waters College and received a master's degree from the University of North Florida; he also graduated from the 130th Session of the FBI National Academy. Glover joined the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in 1966, becoming an investigator in the Detective Division in 1969 and getting promoted to Sergeant in 1974. In 1991 he was named Director of Police Services, one of the JSO's top positions. He currently serves on several boards, and holds a position at the University of North Florida under his old colleague John Delaney, the former mayor of Jacksonville. He and his wife Doris J. Bailey have two children, two grandsons and a granddaughter.