1845
Official Program
Inauguration of MILLARD F. CALDWELL
as
GOVERNOR
of the
STATE OF FLORIDA
January 2, 1945
Tallahassee, Florida
GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
IN GOD WE TRUST
1945
[Picture of THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION]
[Picture of MILLARD F. CALDWELL, Florida's Twenty-Ninth Governor]
[Picture of THE STATE CAPITOL]
Begun in 1838, finished in 1842; north and south wings begun in 1901, finished in 1902; east and west wings begun 1922, finished 1923; new north wing begun 1936, finished 1937
THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
Present State Seal adopted by Constitution of 1868
and readopted by
Constitution of 1885
Biography
MILLARD FILLMORE CALDWELL
The twenty-night Governor of the State of Florida, was born February 6, 1897 at Beverly, near Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of Millard F. and Martha Clapp Caldwell. He attended the University of Mississippi, Carson-Newman College, and the University of Virginia. While still a student, he volunteered for service in the First World War as a private and rose through the ranks to a commission as Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery.
In 1924 he moved to Milton, Florida and began the pracitce of law there. At milton he served as City Attorny and as attorny for the county commisioenrs and the Board of Public instruction.
He was elected to and served in the House of Representatives of the Florida Legislature during the sessions of 1929 and 1931.
In 1932 he was elected to Congress from the Third district and was re-elected three times, serving four temrs or eight years. In 1941 he voluntarilty retired from Congress and moved to his farm in Leon County where he has lived since, raising pecans, general farm crops, and been and dairy cattle and practicing law in Tallahassee.
During his service in Congress he was a memeber of the Foreign Affairs and Appropriations Committees, devoting special attention to preparedness. He represented the Congress of the United States at the Inter-Parliamentary Conferences at The Hague, Holland, in 1938 and at Oslo, Norway, in 1939.
In 1925 he married Miss Mary Rebecca Harwood of saluda, Virginia. They have two daughters, Sally Perkins and Susan Beverly, both students of Leon High School.
[Picture of FLORIDA'S FIRST FAMILY] [Picture of Florida's First Lady MRS. MILLARD F. CALDWELL]
Florida's Constitutional Executive Officers
MILLARD F. CALDWELL, Governor
J. TOM WATSON, Attorney General
R.A. GRAY, Secretary of State
COLIN ENGLISH, Superintendent of Public Instruction
J. EDWIN LARSON, Treasurer
NATHAN MAYO, Commisioner of Agriculture
J.M. LEE, Comptroller
Supreme Court Justices
GLEN TERRELL, Justice
HAROLD SEBRING, Justice
RIVERS BUFORD, Chief Justice
ARMSTEAD BROWN, Justice
ROY H. CHAPMAN, Justice
ELWYN THOMAS, Justice
ALTO ADAMS, Justice
Program
10:00 A.M.
Officer and Military Escort leaves Capitol to accompany Governor Spessard L. Holland and Governor-elect Millard F. Caldwell and families to Capitol.
State and Federal Officials begin arriving at the Capitol and occupy seats reserved for them on Inaugural Platform.
11:00 A.M.
Governor and Mrs. Spessard L. Holland, and Governor-elct and Mrs. Millard F. caldwell, accompanied by their families and Military and Official Escort, arrive at Capitol and are joined in the rotunda by Cabinet Officers and Justices of the Supreme Court of Florida, the entire party proceeding to the Inaugural Platform
INAUGURAL CERMONIES AT THE CAPITOL
Hon. R. A. Gray, Chairman
Invocation- Reverend Jeffry Alfriend
Address- Governor Spessard L. Holland
12:00 NOON
Administation of the Oath of Office to Governor-Elect Millard F. Caldwell by Honorable Rivers Buford, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida.
Governor's Salute of 17 Guns
Delivery of Great Seal of the State to Governor Spessard L. Holland by Honorable R. A. Gray, Secretary of State.
Delivery of Great Seal of the State by Governor Spessard L. Holland to Governor Millard F. Caldwell.
Song- "America"
Inaugural Address by Governor Millard F. Caldwell
Song- "God Bless America"
12:45 P.M.
Governor Caldwell, and members of his family, accompanied by the Military and Official Escort, Members oft he Cabinet, Justices of the Supreme Court and other Officials, proceed to their automobiles and go to their places on the Reviewing Stand.
12:45 to 2:00 P.M.
Review of Inaugural Parade by Governor Caldwell and his Escort.
2:00 P.M.
Exhibition of Miami Drum and Bugle Corps, Harvey Seeds Posts, American Legion, Miami, Florida. Monroe Street.
3:00 to 5:00 P.M.
Open House at the Executive Mansion (Informal)
8:00 to 10:00 P.M.
Reception by Governor and Mrs. Caldwell at the Capitol assisted by Members of the cabinet and the Justices of the Supreme Court (enter East Entrance, exist West Entrance).
11:00 P.M.
Inaugural Ball in the Gymnasium of the Florida State College for Women, Governor and Mrs. Caldwell leading the Grand March.
Inaugural Ball in the Dining Room of the Florida State College for Women, Governor and Mrs. Caldwell leading the Grand March.
A statewide radio network arranged by Florida Association of Broadcasters will carry all featurues of the Inagural ceremonies.
One Hundred Years of Statehood
During the administration of Governor William D. Mosely, 1845-1849, the state government was organized, tax rates were set, and the survey of the Everglades was made by the Federal Government to determine whether their drainage was practicable. Prince Achille Murat, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, died at his home in Jefferson County, during the administration on april 15, 1847.
In October, 1849, Thomas Brown succeeded Mosely as governor. During his administration laws were passed providing for public school administration, the Supreme Court of Florida was organized and the East Florida Smeinary was founded at Ocala.
James E. Broome succeeded Brown as Governor in october 1853. This was a great railroad building era. Construction of a railroad from Fernandina to Cedar Key was begun in 1853. Two companies had been organized to build railroads from Jacksonville west to Lake City and the Apalachicola River. Much of the construction was completed during Broome's administration. An Indian war broke out in Sourthern Florida lasting from 1855 to 1858, and the West Florida Seminary was founded in Tallahassee in 1857.
Governor Madison Stark Perry was inaugurated in October 1857. The Florida Railraod from Fernandina to Cedar Key was completed in 1860, also the railroads from Jacksonvill west to Tallahassee. The outstnaidng event of Perry's administration was the secession of Florida from the Union, January 10, 1861. Early in Febraury Florida joined the Confederate States of America, having existed as an independent nation for less than one month.
John Milton, who succeeded Perry as Governor of Florida was inaugurated in October 1861. The Civil War was begin while Perry was governor, but most of the four year's fighting occurred in Milton's administration. In 1862 Federal forces captured Fernandina, Jacksonvile, St. Augustine, Cedar Key, Apalachicola, and Pensacola. All these towns were rendered useless to the Confederacy as ports. The destruction fo the Confederate Salt Works on St. Andrews Bay occurred in 1863. Their loss was a very heavy blow to the South.
The only major battle of the Civil War in Florida was that of Olustee, Febraury 20, 1864. Here 5000 Federals under General Truman Seymour were badly defeated by an equal number of Confederates under General Joseph Finnegan of Florida and General A.H. Colquitt of Georgia. Minor battles were fought at Marianna, Gainesville and Natural Bridge.
On April 1, 1865, Governor Milton died and was succeeded by A.K. Allison, president of the Senate. Governor Allison's administration ended May 24, 1865, when the state was put under martial law by the Federal authorities who had come into control beacuse of the surrender of the Confederate armies.
On July 134, 1865, William Marvin was appointed Provisional governor of Florida by President Andrew Johnson and his term lasted until January 18, 1866.
On October 25, 1865, a convention met to form a new state constitution. This constitution annulled the ordinace of secession and abolished slavery.
The first election for governor under the constitution of 1865 was held November 29 of that year and resulted in the election of David S. Walker as governor. During that time overnor walker served, January 18, 1866-June 7, 1868, Florida was considred out of the union by the Federal government. Some important events of those years were the opeations of the Freedman's Bureau created by Federal statue of March 3, 1865, and the formation of a new constitution. A convention which met in Tallahassee January 20, 1868 and adjourned February 24, 1868 formed a constition which gave the negroes as well as the white citizens the ballot. For the first time, a constittutional tax for education was provided.
Under the new constution Harrison Reed was elected governor. He was inaugurated June 8, 1868, and served until January, 1973, during which time the period of reconstruction as carpet bag rule began. Governor Reed had a stormy adminsitration, much trouble occuring between him and leaders of his own aprty. Two attempts to impeach him proved abortive and finally on impeachment in 1872, the State Senate dismissed the charges.
In the election of 1872, Ossian B. Hart of Jacksonville, was chosen Governor and Marcellus L. Stearns, Lieutenant governor. Hart was the first native of Florida elected to the governorship.
Upon the death of Governor Hart, March 18, 1874, Lieutenant governor Marcellus L. Stearns became governor. In 1876 there occurred on of the most interesting political campaigns in the history of Florida. Those opposing Republican control united under the name "Conservative," and nominated George F. Drew, a native of New Hampshire, then a resident of Madison county for governor. In a close race finally decided by the State Supreme Court, Mr. Drew was declared victor over Gorvernor Stearns by less than 400 votes, ending the period of reconstruction.
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