Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905September 23, 1973) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of Florida.

Early life and education

Born in

Blountstown, Florida Blountstown is a city in Calhoun County, Florida, Calhoun County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,514 at the 2010 census, which represented an increase from 2,444 in 2000. It is the county seat of Calhoun County. Name Blountstown ...

, he attended 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 ...

in Gainesville. While at the university he was one of the early members of

Florida Blue Key Florida Blue Key is a student leadership honor society at the University of Florida which was founded in 1923. History Founding and early years "Florida Blue Key was founded on November 1, 1923, several days prior to the University's Homeco ...

, as well as the Tau chapter of

Theta Chi Theta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, college fraternity. It was founded on April 10, 1856 at Norwich University then-located in Norwich, Vermont, and has initiated more than 200,000 members and currently has over 8,700 c ...

fraternity. While still attending the university, he was elected in 1927 at the age of 21 to the Florida House of Representatives.

Legal career and early politics

Following graduation, he moved to

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, where he began practicing law. He served on the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

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.

Term as governor

Warren was nominated for governor by the Democratic Party in 1948; his platform included promises to fight

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

in Florida. In addition to having to deal with racial segregation, most blacks were still

disenfranchised Disfranchisement, also called disenfranchisement, or voter disqualification is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing a person exercising the right to vote. D ...

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 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 Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...

system, began the Florida

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debat ...

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. The hearings of the

United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was a special committee of the United States Senate which existed from 1950 to 1951 and which investigated organized crime which crossed state borders in the Un ...

, chaired by Senator Estes Kefauver, brought to light the involvement of Florida public officials in gambling-related corruption involving

numbers game The numbers game, also known as the numbers racket, the Italian lottery, Mafia lottery or the daily number, is a form of illegal gambling or illegal lottery played mostly in poor and working class neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a be ...

s and bolita. There were accusations that Warren's 1948 campaign had been funded by organized criminals. Warren refused to cooperate with the committee, claiming that to do so would contradict the principle of

States' rights In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the ...

. In a letter to Senator

Herbert O'Conor Herbert Romulus O'Conor (November 17, 1896March 4, 1960) was an American lawyer serving as the 51st Governor of Maryland from 1939 to 1947. He also served in the United States Senate, representing Maryland from 1947 to 1953. He was a Democrat. ...

, in which Warren informed the committee that he would not appear before them, he stated: "I think state sovereignty as conceived by the founders of our Government is something more than a fading memory to rest in the nation's archives." In 1951, legislator George S Okell, in the Florida House of Representatives introduced a resolution to

impeach Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

Warren for "wilfully ignoring" his duty to eliminate illegal gambling in Florida and for falsifying papers related to his 1948 campaign. The House voted on May 28, 1951, to reject the

articles of impeachment Impeachment in the United States is the process by which a legislature may bring charges against an officeholder for misconduct alleged to have been committed with a penalty of removal. Impeachment may also occur at the state level if the sta ...

Later years

Former governor Fuller Warren with a glass of orange juice at WITV station

After Warren left office on January 6, 1953, he moved to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, where he practiced law. Early in 1954, Warren joined WITV (channel 17), Miami's second television station and the city's first UHF station, as a political analyst and news commentator. A review of his weekly program in the '' Miami News'' began with, "those melisonant vibrations dripping from WITV's transmitter each Sunday should send fear into the hearts of every news commentator across the nations." He ran for governor again in 1956, promising "to maintain

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...

in Florida" but lost the election to opponent

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 ...

. Warren died in Miami in 1973.

Legacy and honors

*The

Fuller Warren Bridge The Fuller Warren Bridge is the prestressed-concrete girder bridge that carries Interstate 95 (I-95) across the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. The current structure was finished in October 2002, replacing the original bascul ...

is named for him.

References

External links

Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, Fuller American people of Norman descent Democratic Party governors of Florida Jacksonville, Florida City Council members University of Florida alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II 1905 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American politicians People from Blountstown, Florida American Ku Klux Klan members United States Navy officers