Florida. Dept. of Education.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction was created by the 1868 Constitution. In the 1885 Constitution, the Superintendent became an elected official. The Superintendent headed the Dept. of Public Instruction (1869-1938) and the State Dept. of Education (1939-1968). Under the 1968 Constitution, the name was changed to Commissioner of Education and the position became one of the elected Cabinet posts. The Commissioner heads the Dept. of Education and serves as chief state school officer.

Ralph D. Turlington was born October 5, 1920 in Gainesville, Florida. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida in 1942 and with a Master's in Business Administration from Harvard in 1943. Turlington served three years in World War II and then returned to Gainesville to join the University of Florida faculty to teach business administration.

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