Online Catalog - State Archives of Florida - Florida Department of State

State Archives of Florida Online Catalog

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	Record Group Number:	900000
	Series/Collection Number:	M84- 30
	Creator:	Jennings, William Sherman, 1863-1920
	Title, Dates:	Jennings family papers, ca. 1900-1916.
	Amount:	0.50 cubic ft.
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	Organization/Arrangement:	By record type.
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	Biographical/Historical:	William Sherman Jennings was born March 24, 1863 at Walnut Hill, Illinois. He attended Southern Illinois Normal and Union Law School in Chicago. He moved to Brooksville (Hernando County), Florida, in 1885 to complete his legal studies and began practicing law there in May 1886. He was appointed Circuit Court Commissioner in 1887 and became County Judge of Hernando County in 1888. Jennings resigned in 1893 to serve in the House of Representatives from Hernando County and was Speaker of the House in 1895. Jennings received the Democratic nomination for Governor at the State Party Convention (the last one to be held) in Jacksonville in 1900. As governor, Jennings advocated the primary election system to displace the convention method of selecting candidates. He saved 3 million acres of public land and laid the groundwork for other reclamation projects such as the Everglades. After leaving office, Governor Broward appointed him General Counsel of the state's Internal Improvement Fund, which oversaw the reclamation of the Everglades. He also served as Chairman of the federal Reclamation and Drainage Commission. Jennings died on February 28, 1920 in St. Augustine, Florida.
	Summary:	The collection contains the papers of the Jennings family relating to Florida Governor William Sherman Jennings, including photographs, newspaper clippings, speeches, and other materials. Of interest are several items relating to the Torrens system of land titles that Jennings advocated. The collection also contains Governor Jennings' message to the 1903 Legislature in which he called for the draining of the Everglades, and a report from the Democratic Party against the conditions of convict labor that interfere with free labor. It also contains the Report of the State Treasurer, 1901-1902. The photographs are of Governor Jennings, his family, and his cabinet members. Several images depict Governor Jennings and his cabinet observing the progress of the Everglade drainage project in 1909. There are also images of Governor Jennings with Florida Governors Gilchrist and Broward. One image depicts Governor Jennings attending a 1901 Emancipation Day celebration at Lake Jackson in Tallahassee. Another image depicts Governor Jennings and his cabinet standing in front of Black construction workers on the Capitol grounds. In addition, this collection contains Images of Mrs. Jennings at the christening ceremony for the Liberty Ship USS W.S. Jennings.
	Finding Aids:	Folder listing available. 0
	Additional Physical Form:	Images in this collection have been digitized and are available on the Florida Memory web site: https://floridamemory.com/discover/photographs/
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	Ownership/Custodial History:	Donor is granddaughter of Governor Jennings.
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	Electronic Records Access:	https://floridamemory.com/discover/photographs/
	Subject Access Fields:	Florida. Governor (1901-1905 : Jennings) Governors Florida Torrens system Florida Photographs. aat Florida Politics and government 1865-1950
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