William A. Shands
| William A. Shands | |
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| Member of the Florida Senate from the 32nd district |
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In office 1940–1958 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 21, 1889 Alachua County, Florida |
| Died | January 20, 1973 (aged 83) Gainesville, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine London Hawkins, married June 12, 1912 |
| Education | LL.B., University of Florida |
| Occupation |
Businessman Lawyer |
William Augustine Shands (July 21, 1889 – January 20, 1973) was an American politician and elected officeholder. Shands was a long-time Democrat member of the Florida Senate and an advocate for the establishment of a state medical college and teaching hospital.
Shands was born in Alachua County, Florida on July 21, 1889, and moved to Gainesville, Florida with his family in 1901. He attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he joined the Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity (Beta Zeta Chapter). While attending the university, he played for the Florida football and Florida baseball teams. On the football team he was an end and halfback. He left school without graduating which is something he regretted and went into the fertilizer business in Gainesville. He was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "distinguished letter winner."
Shands left the university before graduating and began selling agricultural chemicals for the Standard Fertilizer Company He married Catherine London Hawkins of Jacksonville, Florida on June 12, 1912, and then moved to Alabama. He later returned to Gainesville and started the Gainesville Poster-Advertising Company in 1928. He ran and was elected to the Gainesville City Council. He joined the City Charter Commission, and in 1929 was appointed to the State Road Board. In order to further his business and political aspirations, he returned to the University of Florida to study law.
After graduating from the University of Florida with his bachelor of laws degree, Shands was elected to the Florida Senate in 1940, representing the 32nd District centered on Gainesville in north central Florida. Shands was later selected by his colleagues to serve as the president of the Florida Senate during the 1957 session of the legislature.
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