Millard F. Caldwell

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Millard F. Caldwell

Millard Fillmore Caldwell Jr. (born February 6, 1897 in Knoxville , Tennessee , † October 23, 1984 in Tallahassee , Florida ) was an American lawyer and politician and from 1945 to 1949 the 29th governor of Florida. He also represented his state from 1933 to 1941 as a member of Congress .

Early years and political advancement

Young Caldwell attended the University of Mississippi , Carson Newman College, and the University of Virginia . During the First World War he served as a lieutenant in a field artillery unit. After the war, he completed a law degree. He was admitted to the bar in 1922, after which he opened a law firm in Milton, Florida. In 1925, he became a district attorney for Santa Rosa County , a position he held until 1932. Caldwell was a member of the House of Representatives from Florida from 1929 to 1932 . Between 1933 and 1941 he represented the third electoral district of his state in the US House of Representatives in Washington .

Florida governor

In 1944 he was put up by his Democratic Party as a candidate for the office of governor of Florida and was subsequently also elected to this office. His four-year term began on January 2, 1945. During his term of office, the end of the Second World War fell . Therefore, in Florida, as in all states, industrial production and administration had to be converted from war needs to civilian needs. Caldwell was a supporter of segregation , that is, racial segregation. As a result, he was opposed to calls for segregation to be abolished. Otherwise he campaigned for the expansion of the road network and school education, especially in rural areas. The Everglades National Park was opened in his reign. Between 1946 and 1947 he was chairman of the National Governors Association .

Further career

After his tenure on January 4, 1949, Caldwell remained politically active. He became a member of several joint Southern States committees. In 1950, US President Harry S. Truman appointed him head of the FCDA civil defense agency . This authority has since been dissolved or incorporated into the Ministry of Internal Security . The appointment of Caldwell met with opposition from the civil rights organization NAACP due to the ex-governor's racist attitude . Nevertheless, he held the office until 1952. After that, Caldwell served as a judge at the Florida Supreme Court . From 1962 to 1969 he was its presiding judge. After leaving this office, he returned to his private affairs. He died on October 23, 1984 and was buried in the Harwood Plantation Cemetery. Millard Caldwell was married to Rebecca Harwood, with whom he had two children.

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personal data
SURNAME Caldwell, Millard F.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Caldwell, Millard Fillmore Jr. (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH February 6, 1897
PLACE OF BIRTH Knoxville , Tennessee
DATE OF DEATH October 23, 1984
Place of death Tallahassee , Florida