Charley Eugene Johns (February 27, 1905January 23, 1990) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

. Johns served as the 32nd Governor of Florida from 1953 to 1955. Johns was born in Starke, Florida. He worked as a railroad conductor and insurance

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

before being elected to the State Senate as a Democrat in 1947. Johns became the Senate President in April 1953, a position Markley Johns, his brother, had been elected to. Johns was a member of the " Pork Chop Gang", a group of 20 conservative legislators from North Florida who favored

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Intern ...

and consolidated political power and money in the northern, more rural parts of the state. One of the Johns most remembered initiatives during his early state Senate years was to build a new, portable

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

to be transported by truck with an electric generator and set up in a jail or a courthouse where the convicted was sentenced. After the death of Governor

Dan McCarty Daniel Thomas McCarty (January 18, 1912 – September 28, 1953) was an American politician who served in the Florida House of Representatives and served as its speaker. He briefly served as the 31st Governor of Florida from January 6, 1953 un ...

on September 28, 1953, Johns became the

Acting Governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or an ...

under the provisions of the state constitution at that time, which provided for the state Senate President to become the Acting Governor upon the death, incapacitation, or resignation of the Governor. During his term as Acting Governor, Johns promoted highway construction, eliminating tolls on the

Overseas Highway The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. Route 1 (US 1) through the Florida Keys to Key West. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Rail ...

between Miami and

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

. He was also an advocate for prison

reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

. In 1954, Johns ran for election to a term as governor in his own right, but was defeated by

LeRoy Collins Thomas LeRoy Collins (March 10, 1909 – March 12, 1991) was an American politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Florida. Collins began his governorship after winning a special election in 1954, was elected to a four-year term in 1956 ...

. After leaving office on January 4, 1955, he returned to the Florida Senate, serving until 1966. Johns is most remembered for his support and chairmanship of the infamous

Florida Legislative Investigation Committee The Florida Legislative Investigation Committee (commonly known as the Johns Committee) was established by the Florida Legislature in 1956, during the era of the Second Red Scare and the Lavender Scare. Like the more famous anti-Communist investi ...

, nicknamed the "Johns Committee" because of Johns' chairmanship. This committee participated in the

Red Scare A Red Scare is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism, anarchism or other leftist ideologies by a society or state. The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States which ar ...

and

Lavender scare The "lavender scare" was a moral panic about homosexual people in the United States government which led to their mass dismissal from government service during the mid-20th century. It contributed to and paralleled the anti-communist campaign w ...

by investigating communists, homosexuals, and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

advocates among the students and faculty of Florida's university system. They were responsible for revoking teachers' certificates and firing university professors. By 1963, the committee had forced the dismissal or resignation of over 100 professors and deans at 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 ...

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

and the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

. One professor, Sigismond Diettrich, chair of the geography department of the University of Florida, attempted suicide after being investigated by the committee. The state legislature ended funding for the committee in 1964 after it released a report called ''

Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida ''Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida'', also known as the Purple Pamphlet, was an anti-homosexual propaganda pamphlet published in January 1964 by the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee (FLIC) of the Florida Legislature led by St ...

'', which infamously became known as the "Purple Pamphlet".Full text: http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00004805/00001, retrieved July 20, 2015. Its many photographs depicting homosexual acts outraged legislators and reportedly copies of the report were being sold as pornography in New York City.

References

* Beutke, Allyson A. ''Behind Closed Doors: The Dark Legacy of the Johns Committee''. Documentary, 2000. * Schnur, James Anthony. ''Cold warriors in the hot sunshine : the Johns Committee's assault on civil liberties in Florida, 1956–1965''. Master's thesis, University of South Florida, 1995. * Stark, Bonnie. ''McCarthyism in Florida : Charley Johns and the Florida legislative investigation committee July''. Master's thesis, University of South Florida, 1985.

External links

Florida governors biography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johns, Charley Eugene Baptists from Florida Democratic Party Florida state senators People from Starke, Florida Presidents of the Florida Senate University of Florida alumni 1905 births 1990 deaths Democratic Party governors of Florida 20th-century American politicians Pork Chop Gang Conductor (rail) Businesspeople from Florida 20th-century American businesspeople American businesspeople in insurance American anti-communists