Robert Alexis (Lex) Green (February 10, 1892 – February 9, 1973) was an American educator, lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

from 1925 to 1944.

Early life and career

Green was born near Lake Butler, Bradford County (now Union County), Florida, where he attended the rural schools. He commenced teaching in the Liberty Public School at the age of 16. He was graduated from the high school at Lake Butler in 1913. He served as a messenger in the State house of representatives from 1913 to 1915, then was an assistant chief clerk of the State house of representatives from 1915 to 1917 and chief clerk in 1917 and 1918. 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 ...

at Gainesville in 1916, then studied accounting and business administration at Howard College ow Samford University He returned to Florida to become a principal at Suwannee High School in 1916 and 1917. He served as vice president of the Florida Educational Association in 1918, then as a member of the State house of representatives from 1918 to 1920, serving as speaker pro tempore in 1918. He studied law at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1921 and commenced practice in Starke, Fla. Green was elected judge of Bradford County, Florida in 1921 and served until 1924, when he resigned, having been elected to Congress.

Congress

Green was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-ninth Congress. He was reelected to the nine succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1925, until his resignation on November 25, 1944, to enter the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He served as chairman of the Committee on Territories ( Seventy-third through Seventy-eighth Congresses). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1944 to the Seventy-ninth Congress, but was an unsuccessful candidate for the Florida gubernatorial nomination.

Military service and later career

Green served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy from November 25, 1944, to November 2, 1945, and resumed the practice of law at

Starke, Florida Starke is a city in and the county seat of Bradford County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,796 at the 2020 census. The origin of the city's name is disputed. Starke may have been named in honor of local landowner George W. Cole's ...

, and served as county prosecuting attorney and as city attorney for the city of Starke. He was member of the Democratic Executive committee, Bradford County, and State Democratic Executive committee.

Death

Green died February 9, 1973, in

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in ...

and was interred in New River Cemetery in Bradford County near the community of New River, Florida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Robert Alexis (Lex) University of Florida alumni 1892 births Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida 1973 deaths Yale Law School alumni Howard University alumni 20th-century American politicians People from Starke, Florida