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.
Betty [Elizabeth B.] Castor was born May 11, 1941 at Glassboro, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Glassboro State College in 1963 and Master of Education from the University of Miami in 1968. Betty Castor was elected to the State Senate in 1976 and again in 1982 and 1984. While a senator, she specialized in education and appropriations. She served as Commissioner of Education from 1987 to 1994, when she resigned to become the President of the University of South Florida. She was the first women to be elected to the Florida Cabinet.
From the description of Commissioner of Education Betty Castor administrative files, 1987-1991. (Florida State Archive). WorldCat record id: 32414037
