Marcellus Stearns

Marcellus Lovejoy Stearns
11th Governor of Florida
In office
March 18, 1874  January 2, 1877
Lieutenant Vacant
Preceded by Ossian B. Hart
Succeeded by George Franklin Drew
5th Lieutenant Governor of Florida
In office
January 7, 1873  March 18, 1874
Governor Ossian B. Hart
Preceded by Samuel T. Day
Succeeded by Noble A. Hull
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
In office
1868–1872
Personal details
Born (1839-04-29)April 29, 1839
Lovell, Maine
Died December 8, 1891(1891-12-08) (aged 52)
Palatine Bridge, New York
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) None

Marcellus Lovejoy Stearns (April 29, 1839 December 8, 1891) was an American politician. He served as the 11th Governor of Florida, from 1874 to 1877.

Born in Lovell, Maine on April 29, 1839, he attended Colby College and in 1861 left to join the Union Army. He lost an arm during the Battle of Opequon, after which he was sent by the army to study law. He was sent to Quincy, Florida, where he remained after being discharged. He was a member of the Florida Constitutional Convention of 1868, and the Florida House of Representatives from 1868 through 1872, serving as speaker in 1869. He was elected the fifth Lieutenant Governor in 1872. He became governor on March 18, 1874 when Governor Ossian B. Hart died from pneumonia. Stearns attempted to force Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs to resign his post as Superintendent of Public Instruction, but was unsuccessful due to Gibbs' immense popularity. After leaving office on January 2, 1877, he was appointed U.S. Commissioner in Hot Springs, Arkansas, a post he held until 1880. He died in Palatine Bridge, New York, on December 8, 1891. He is buried in Center Lovell, Maine.

After he left office on 2 January 1877, there was no Republican Governor of Florida until 1967.

Political offices
Preceded by
Samuel T. Day
Lieutenant Governor of Florida
1873–1874
Succeeded by
Noble A. Hull
Preceded by
Ossian B. Hart
Governor of Florida
1874–1877
Succeeded by
George F. Drew
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