Florida. Governor (1955-1961 : Collins)

LeRoy Collins was born on March 19, 1909 in Tallahassee, Florida. He attended Eastman School of Business in Poughkeepsie, New York, and received a law degree from Cumberland University. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives from Leon County in 1934, 1936, and 1938. He was elected to the Florida Senate in 1940 and 1942, resigned to serve in the navy during World War II, and was reelected to the Senate in 1946 and 1950.

Collins was the first Governor to be elected to consecutive terms. He was first elected in 1954 to complete the two-year unexpired term of the late Governor McCarty and was reelected in 1956 for a regular four-year term. As governor, Collins promoted the growth of Florida's economy by the establishment of the State Development Commission, and worked to strengthen and modernize Florida's school systems from grade schools through the universities. He served simultaneously as chairman of the Southern Governors' Conference and the National Governors' Conference.

After leaving office he became president of the National Association of Broadcasters. In 1964 he was appointed by President Johnson as first Director of Community Relation Services under the 1964 Civil Rights Acts. He resigned in 1966 to practice law in Tampa. He won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in 1968 but was defeated in the general election. He retired to Tallahassee to practice law.

From the description of Correspondence, 1955-1961. (Florida State Archive). WorldCat record id: 32413190