Print ArticleWith election day finally arriving, here's a list of Florida's governors that were either born or lived in Jacksonville, in chronological order.
5. William Sherman Jennings 
Image courtesy of Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sherman_Jennings#mediaviewer/File:William_Sherman_Jennings.jpg
In Office: 1901-1905
Jennings was the 18th Governor of Florida. Before taking the oath, he was the president of the Brooksville, FL town council. During his term in Tallahassee, he set the path forward to drain and develop the Everglades by cutting the natural rock dams in the rivers of South Florida. After his term, he moved to Jacksonville where he established a successful law practice. In 1910, Jennings and his business partners purchased 60,000 acres of land west of Middleburg, forming the Artesian Farm Land Company. There, they produced forest products such as lumber and naval stores. This land was acquired by the State of Florida in 1990 and is now the Jennings State Forest.
6. Napolean B. Broward 
Image courtesy of the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/128345
In Office: 1905-1909
The 19th Governor of Florida, Broward was a Jacksonville river pilot and captain before becoming a politician.
During the 1890s, Broward operated a military filibustering operation out of Jacksonville until President William McKinley declared war on spain. As governor, the project to drain the Everglades became a reality. The Dames Point Bridge and Broward County, FL are named for him.
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