James Emilius Broome (December 15, 1808 – November 23, 1883) was an American politician who was the third Governor of Florida.

Early life and career

Broome was born in

Hamburg, South Carolina Hamburg, South Carolina is a ghost town in Aiken County, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was once a thriving upriver market located across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia in the Edgefield District. It was founded by Henry Shultz ...

and moved to Florida in 1837. He engaged in the mercantile business until he retired in 1841. In that same year, Governor

Richard Keith Call Richard Keith Call (October 24, 1792 – September 14, 1862) was an American attorney, politician, and slave owner who served as the 3rd and 5th territorial governor of Florida. Before that, he was elected to the Florida Territorial Council and a ...

appointed him to the position of

Probate Judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

of Leon County. He served in that position until 1848.

Political life

He was elected governor in 1852. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he took office on October 3, 1853. He was an early States'-Righter. During his term, the Whig Party, the opposition to the Democrats at the time, controlled the

Florida State Legislature The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Const ...

. He vetoed so many of the bills that were passed by the legislature that he became known as the "Veto Governor". His gubernatorial stint ended on October 5, 1857. Broome served as a member of the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

in 1861. A large planter, he was very sympathetic to the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

cause.

Marriages

James E. Broome was married five times. In 1865, he moved to New York City. On a visit with his son in

DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in central Florida. It is the county seat of Volusia County. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. As of the 2020 ...

, Broome died in 1883.

References

External links

Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
Governors of Florida Florida Democrats 1808 births 1883 deaths Democratic Party governors of Florida People from Hamburg, South Carolina People from Leon County, Florida 19th-century American politicians American planters American slave owners American merchants 19th-century American judges Whig Party (United States) politicians Politicians from New York City States' rights {{Florida-politician-stub