Career Spanned 2 Decades Harris Daniel Was Appointed Clerk Of The Circuit Court In 1965 July 4, 1990|By Jovida Fletcher of The Sentinel Staff When we first came here, you almost had to know somebody to get in with the people. You were scrutinized closely. They would check you out to see what class you fit in. They watched you for a while until they accepted you. When they found out we were decent people they started associating with us.Nan Harris Harris Daniel has had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time. He and his wife, Nan, came to Kissimmee from Tennessee 40 years ago because of her health. Now, they find the move was beneficial not only for her health, but also for Harris, who was thrust into the political arena and became a major player at a time when Osceola County was undergoing perhaps its greatest changes. Harris was appointed clerk of the circuit court in 1965 by the late Gov. Hayden Burns. The next 16 years would prove to be some of the most rewarding in Harris life. When we first came here, Nan said, you almost had to know somebody to get in with the people. You were scrutinized closely. They would check you out to see what class you fit in. They watched you for a while until they accepted you. When they found out we were decent people they started associating with us, Harris said. Nan said they were finally accepted by the community when they moved their church letter to the First United Methodist Church from their church in Tennessee and Harris entered the Masonic Lodge. Harris joined his brother-in-law, Lucian Elliott, in running a grocery Elliott owned. Harris stayed in the grocery business until 1958, when he went into the building and real estate business. In 1960, one of my partners died and it was hard times for builders back then. I dissolved that partnership but I kept building. It was also in 1960 that Harris began his political career. He was elected to the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners. When Disney first made its appearance, I was a county commissioner. I was chairman of the commission in 1963 and that was when the rumor got out that something was happening in the county. In 1964 we began to realize, not who it was, but to really realize that something was really fixing to pop here. In late 1965 the announcement of what was to come was made by Walt Disney and Gov. Burns in the Cherry Plaza Hotel in Orlando. That was in November and Glenn Ray, my forerunner as clerk of the circuit court, had passed away. That was the year Gov. Hayden Burns appointed me clerk of the circuit court. When I was asked by some of our leading people if I would accept the job, . . . I didnt know what to do. I didnt feel adequate. I didnt feel that I was strong enough to do it. I came home and my wife said, Whos going to be the next clerk? I said, It looks like I might be. I went back in my bedroom and spent the next two hours on my knees. When I came out, I knew I would be clerk of the court. The Lord had told me. Irlo Bronson Sr. called and asked me if I would do it and I said, Yes, I would like to be clerk. He said he would stick out his neck for me. And he did. Bronson was our state senator then and J.J. Griffin was our state representative. Both of them pushed for me to be clerk of the court. Being appointed clerk was a tremendous step for me. Prior to my appointment when I had a problem, as county commissioner, I would always go to Mr. Ray and talk to him about the problem and a way to solve it. In the time I was clerk, there were a lot of changes made in the office. There were 12 employees in the clerks office when I started. There were 50 when I retired. He said he was the sixth clerk of the circuit court in Osceola County and was one of 30 out of 67 counties who was certified by the Florida Supreme Court. Floridas Constitution was changed in 1972 for the first time in many years. With Article 5 came a complete change in our court system. Our court system went from a many court system to a four-tier court. Prior to that we had a court system of justice of the peace courts, magistrate courts, small claims court, county court, court of the county court, the circuit court and the district appellate. In our county, at that time, county judges drew two salaries because one was for judge of county court and the other was for circuit court judge. The county court judge was an administrator. He sold fishing, hunting, automobile and drivers licenses, things of that nature. The county judge became a judge of the courts of all misdemeanors and all money matters up to $5,000. Then the circuit judge took over and handled all money matters over $5,000 and all of the felonies and things of that nature. Then came the district appellate court. The workload in the clerks office was heavy in 1973 with all the changes, Harris said. The clerks office in Tallahassee were helpful to Harris and his staff, and he went to work there at least twice a month.When I was in Tallahassee I was treated like royalty. When I took over as clerk, I told my people I wanted them to treat everybody the same way I was treated in Tallahassee. Our door was open to everybody. When you are an elected official, you are a public servant to those people, and it is your duty to see everybody. Thats how I did it for the 20 years I served the county. During his years in the clerks office Harris had only two secretaries: Bernadette Begany and Ellanor Jowers, who later became his executive assistant. Over the years, Harris served under four governors: Burns, Claude Kirk, Rubin Askew and Bob Graham. He also served as president of the state Association of Clerks and Recorders. Harris was in six election campaigns: two for commissioner and four for clerk. He once received a write-in vote for president of the United States. He is past president of the Shrine Club, has been a member of the Rotary Club for more than 35 years and has been a Mason for 44 years. He also served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Clerks and Recorders from 1976 to 1980. Harris and his wife are both 73. Weve known each other all of our lives, and we joined the church together. I guess we were sweethearts all our lives, and we are still sweethearts, Nan said. They have been married 53 years and have two children, Nancy Gunter, Port Orange, and Reba Quirk, Fernandina Beach, and five grandchildren..........OCT. 20, 1916 - APRIL 20, 2007 PORT ORANGE - Harris G. Daniel, 90, of Palmetto Street, a former commissioner and clerk of the court in Osceola County, died Friday at home.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 15:32:47 +0000
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