Fuller Warren
| Fuller Warren | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 30th Governor of Florida | |
|
In office January 4, 1949 – January 6, 1953 |
|
| Preceded by | Millard F. Caldwell |
| Succeeded by | Daniel T. McCarty |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1939 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 3, 1905 Blountstown, Florida |
| Died | September 23, 1973 (aged 67) Miami, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sallie Mae Stegall Pat Pacetti Barbara Manning |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905 – September 23, 1973) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th Governor of Florida.
Born in Blountstown, Florida, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville. While at the University he was one of the early members of Florida Blue Key, as well as the Tau Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity. While still attending the university, he was elected in 1927 at the age of 21 to the Florida House of Representatives.
Following graduation, he moved to Jacksonville, where he began practicing law. He served on the city council from 1931 until 1937; he was elected and returned to the Florida House in 1939. During World War II, he was a gunnery officer in the U.S. Navy.
Warren was nominated for governor by the Democratic Party in 1948; his platform included promises to fight racism in Florida. In addition to having to deal with racial segregation, most blacks were still disenfranchised and cut out of the official political system. Warren won the election and assumed the office of governor on January 4, 1949.
After his election, he spoke out against the Ku Klux Klan, stating after a rally in January 1949 that
The hooded hoodlums and sheeted jerks who paraded the streets of Tallahassee last night made a disgusting and alarming spectacle. These covered cowards who call themselves Klansmen quite obviously have set out to terrorize minority groups in Florida as they have in a near-by state.
In March 1949, reports were published that Warren had been a member of the Klan. He issued a statement saying that he had been a member before World War II, but during it he had "helped to fight a war to destroy the Nazis — first cousins to Klansmen."
During his term, Warren set the foundations for the state's turnpike system, began the Florida reforestation program, instituted quality control programs on Florida's citrus crops, and signed a law that forbade cattle from wandering freely (as they damaged crops). In 1951 Warren signed an anti-Klan law which, although not mentioning the Klan specifically, forbade the wearing of masks in public or on the private property of another person without the written permission of the owner.
...
Wikipedia