An Annotated Bibliography to Assist the Researcher Writing a Biography on the Political Career of LeRoy Collins

Open Access

Abstract

A guide to sources about (Thomas) LeRoy Collins, the thirty-third governor of Florida. Born in 1909, Collins served as a state legislator in both the House of Representatives and Senate. Following the untimely death of Governor Dan McCarty in 1953, Collins decided to run against Acting Governor (and Senate President) Charley E. Johns in a 1954 election to complete the second half of McCarty's term. Collins won the election. He became the first and only governor to run for a second consecutive term under the 1885 Florida constitution after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that he could run for reelection in 1956. After his gubernatorial service (1955-1961), he became the president of the National Association of Broadcasters and the first director of the Community Relations Service under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Collins was regarded as one of the most important political leaders of Florida during the twentieth century. He passed away in 1991.