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James B. Whitfield (1860-1948) of Wayne County, North Carolina, moved to Leon County in 1863 so his father could establish a cotton labor farm. He attended West Florida Seminary in Tallahassee and received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1886. Whitfield practiced law in Leon County until his election in 1888 as county judge. Beginning in 1889, he was Clerk of the Florida Supreme Court for eight years. In 1897, Governor Bloxham appointed him State Treasurer, a position he held until 1903 when Governor Jennings appointed him State Attorney General. In 1904, he was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court, and a year later became Chief Justice. Whitfield served with the Supreme Court until 1943.
Summary:
The collection contains the papers of James B. Whitfield, most of which document his interest in Florida history. It includes correspondence with figures such as Theodore Roosevelt, William D. Bloxham, R. A. Gray and Millard F. Caldwell. Whitfield's manuscripts touch on numerous aspects and events in Florida history, and there are galley proofs of some of his manuscripts and Florida history articles by other authors.
The collection also includes photographs of State Supreme Court Justices, James B. Whitfield, governmental activities, Prince and Princess Murat, and other historical events and people. Newspaper clippings document Whitfield's career from appointment to retirement. There are also some of Whitfield's publications on legal issues and various other publications, such as directories, law journals and an Attorney General report of 1903. Also included in the collection are numerous awards, honors and citations presented to Whitfield during his career.
Finding Aids:
Folder listing available. 0
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
Associated Materials:
For more records relating to James B. Whitfield, see Collection N2017-74, James B. Whitfield Papers, 1905-1945 (0.25 cubic feet). For photographs of James B. Whitfield, see Collection M82-5, General Photographic Collection, 1845-2001; and Series S1842, Photographs of Florida Political Figures, 1821-2002. A searchable index is available for the photographic collections on the Florida Memory web site at https://www.floridamemory.com/discover/photographs/
Language Notes:
Ownership/Custodial History:
The donors are the children of Justice James B. Whitfield.
Publication Note:
General Note:
Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Whitfield, James Bryan, 1860-1948
Judges Florida Legislation Florida Seminole Indians Wars Supreme courts.
Florida History
for detailed listing.