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.
William Stanmore Cawthon was born in 1871 in Coffee County, Alabama. He obtained degrees from the University of Florida and the University of Chicago. He served as the first State High School Inspector from 1909 to 1922. He then served as Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1922 to 1937. Cawthon died in 1963.
From the description of Superintendent of Public Instruction William S. Cawthon administrative files, 1922-1937. (Florida State Archive). WorldCat record id: 32413574
