C. Farris Bryant

Cecil Farris Bryant ( born July 26, 1914 Marion County, Florida; † March 1, 2002 in Jacksonville, Florida ) was an American politician and from 1961 to 1965 the 34th Governor of Florida.

Early years and political rise

Cecil Bryant attended the University of Florida and studied until 1938 at the Harvard University law. He then worked at the Court of Florida before he moved into the state House of Representatives in 1942. However, he held that office not long because he served in various applications during the Second World War as a Marine. In 1946 he was again elected to the House of Representatives from Florida. This mandate he retained until 1956, in the meantime he was also president of the house. In 1956, he aspired to the governorship, but he could not within his Democratic Party prevail against LeRoy Collins. Four years later he was successful. After he had received his party's nomination he also achieved victory.

Governor of Florida

Bryant began his four-year term on January 3, 1961. He sat down very much for the conservation of nature and the environment, and bought land for application of conservation areas and nature parks. He continued his education policies of his predecessor. At that time, new schools and universities were built in Florida. He also sat on an expansion of roads and motorway network in the country. His reign was the time of the civil rights movement in the United States and Bryant himself was a supporter of segregation. Nevertheless, he sent his daughters to integrated schools and he supported the Civil Rights Act the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. In this way was spared major race riots in his tenure, Florida.

Another Journey

After the expiration of his term on January 5, 1965, he remained politically active. President Johnson appointed him to the National Security Council of the United States. In addition, he was also a member of the Emergency Commission in the White House. In 1970 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. Senate. In his last years he worked as an attorney in Jacksonville, where he died in 2002. Cecil Francis Bryant was married to Julia Burnett, with whom he had three daughters.