Jaquelin James Daniel (September 22, 1916 – August 7, 1990) was an American lawyer, businessman, civic leader, and newspaper publisher. He was born and lived most of his life in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, where he led the effort that resulted in the

Jacksonville Consolidation The Jacksonville Consolidation was the city-county consolidation of the governments of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida. It was effected on October 1, 1968. Background In 1934, the Florida Constitution was amended to give the Fl ...

of 1968, which combined city and county governments to improve services. He was known in his lifetime as one of the city's and state's most politically powerful people.

Early life, family and education

Jaquelin James Daniel, known as J. J., was born in 1916 into a powerful

family. His great-grandfather was a young lumberman turned attorney who migrated to Florida in 1846. His grandfather, for whom he was named, was a colonel in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and became one of the most influential citizens of postwar Jacksonville. He was also a principal in the prestigious Jacksonville law firm Fleming and Daniel. The colonel reorganized the Chamber of Commerce and served as President of the Citizens' Auxiliary Association before dying in 1888 in Jacksonville's

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

epidemic An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics ...

. Daniel's father was a prominent lawyer and leader in the

Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...

. Daniel attended local segregated schools and earned his undergraduate degree at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, where he also played football. He received his law degree in 1942 from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and took part in the

Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

. After the war, he joined his father’s Jacksonville law firm.

Career

In 1960, Daniel became the president of Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co., one of the largest mortgage banking and real estate firms in the Southeast. In addition, from 1976 until 1982, Daniel was publisher of both the ''

Florida Times-Union ''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when th ...

'' and ''

Jacksonville Journal {{Infobox newspaper , name = Jacksonville Journal , logo = , image = JaxJournal.jpg , image_size = 250px , caption = Final Journal edition , type = Daily n ...

.'' (His paternal grandfather, in 1888, became the first president of Florida Publishing Company, original owner of the ''Florida Times-Union.'' The company bought the ''Jacksonville Journal'' in 1959.)

Consolidation

In 1966 the Florida legislature created the ''Local Government Study Commission'' to develop a plan to merge Jacksonville city and Duval County services and government, at the request of city leaders. They were dismayed by widespread corruption and waste in local government during the 1960s, when numerous city elected and appointed officials were indicted, as were some county officials. Daniel was named to lead this effort. He was known for his integrity, strong leadership, and history of civic involvement. He and the commission developed a proposal for consolidation that was put before the voters of Jacksonville, other jurisdictions, and unincorporated areas of Duval County. It was strongly approved and implemented in 1968. A few small jurisdictions maintained their independence from the consolidation, with some later procuring services from the new government. At the time, it became the only consolidated government in the state of Florida and one of the few at the time in the nation. In reviewing John Fischer's ''Vital Signs'', ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' noted that according to Fischer, " e hero of the consolidation of Jacksonville, Fla., where the voters in five municipalities chose to form one central government, is an enthusiastic oligarch named J.J. Daniel, who got his way simply because 'he knew almost everybody of consequence in the community.'"Time Magazine: May 12, 1975-Signs of Vitality
/ref>

Influence and later years

In 1977, the ''St. Petersburg Times'' described Daniel as "a pillar of the North Florida business and political establishment...probably Jacksonville's most respected citizen" and named him as one of the ten most powerful people in the state.
/ref> J. J. Daniel served on the

Florida Board of Control The Florida Board of Control (1905-1965) was the statewide governing body for the State University System of Florida, which included all public universities in the state of Florida. It was replaced by the Florida Board of Regents in 1965.

from 1957-1961 and the

Florida Board of Regents The Florida Board of Regents was from 1965 to 2001 the governing body for the State University System of Florida, which includes all public universities in the state of Florida, United States. It was created to replace a predecessor body called ...

from 1971-1982. He was chairman of both boards and was instrumental in getting the

University of North Florida The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Sch ...

established in Jacksonville. The administration building at the school was named J. J. Daniel Hall and dedicated to his memory in February 1991, following his death. He was influential in establishing the

Episcopal High School of Jacksonville Episcopal School of Jacksonville is an independent, coeducational private college preparatory school in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was founded in 1966 by the Episcopal Diocese of Florida. The school has two lower schools, a middle sch ...

. He also served on many non-profit boards, including the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

, the District Welfare Board, and the Jacksonville

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

. Jaquelin James Daniel died in 1990.

Legacy and honors

*He was named a

Great Floridian Great Floridian is a title bestowed upon citizens in the state of Florida by the Florida Department of State. There were actually two formal programs. The Great Floridian 2000 program honored deceased individuals who made "significant contribution ...

by the Florida Department of State, an honor extended to individuals who made major contributions to the progress and welfare of the state of Florida. His Great Floridian plaque can be viewed at the ''Florida Times-Union'' Building in Jacksonville.State of Florida: Heritage-Great Floridians 2000 program

References

External links

J. J. Daniel Hall at UNF
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, Jaquelin James 1916 births 1990 deaths People from Jacksonville, Florida Princeton University alumni American newspaper publishers (people) United States Navy personnel of World War II Florida lawyers 20th-century American lawyers United States Navy officers Fredric G. Levin College of Law alumni