LeRoy Collins

Thomas LeRoy Collins (born March 10, 1909 in Tallahassee , Florida , † March 12, 1991 ibid) was an American politician and the 33rd governor of Florida from 1955 to 1961 .

Early years and political advancement

LeRoy Collins attended Leon High School in Tallahasse and the Eastman School of Business in New York City . He then studied until 1931 at Cumberland University in Birmingham , Alabama , law. Collins has been politically active since 1935. Between 1935 and 1940 he was a member of the Democratic Party in the Florida House of Representatives . He spent the next 13 years until 1953 in the State Senate . In 1954, Florida held extraordinary gubernatorial elections following the death of Governor Daniel T. McCarty, elected in 1952 (died September 28, 1953). While Senate President Charley Johns had constitutionally assumed office after the governor's death, the constitution required a new election to appoint the governor for the remainder of MCCarty's term. This election took place in 1954 and Collins managed to prevail against Johns within the party. Not only did he get the party's nomination, but he also won the election. Since he had not yet completed a full term, he was allowed to run again at the end of his first "half term" in 1956 and be elected governor for a full four years.

Florida governor

So LeRoy Collins' tenure was a total of six years from January 1955 to January 1961. That was the longest uninterrupted term of office of a Florida governor until then, apart from Territorial Governor William Pope Duval , who served twelve years between 1822 and 1834. As governor, he promoted education policy and in particular the public school system. He supported both industry and agriculture in his country and he promoted tourism, which was increasingly an important source of income. While civil rights rioting occurred in many southern states of the United States during these years , the situation in Florida remained largely relaxed, with a few exceptions. This was mainly due to the governor's moderate attitude towards the race question of those days. Collins also served as chairman of the National Association of Governors and the Association of Southern Governors.

Another résumé

After the end of his term in office in January 1961, he remained politically active. In the following years he took on a number of federal government offices in Washington. So he was z. B. 1965 to 1966 US Secretary of Commerce under President Lyndon B. Johnson . In the meantime, he became a partner in a law firm in Tampa and in 1968 ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate . Then he withdrew from politics. He died in March 1991. LeRoy Collis was married to Mary Call Darby, with whom he had four children.

literature

Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 1, Meckler Books, Westport Conn. 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Collins, LeRoy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Collins, Thomas LeRoy (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician, governor of Florida
DATE OF BIRTH	March 10, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH	Tallahassee , Florida
DATE OF DEATH	March 12, 1991
Place of death	Tallahassee , Florida