THIS DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE SUNSHINE STATE (Post appears one day before actual date) Oct 1st 1849 William Dunn Moseley, the first governor elected under Florida’s statehood, left office today, and Thomas Brown, the second governor of Florida (October 1, 1849-October 3, 1853), assumed office. Brown was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on October 24, 1785. He served in the War of 1812. He became the chief clerk of the post office at Richmond, and, while chief clerk, is credited with inventing the postal box. (For more information about Brown, see entry for August 24.) 1862 The Federal Expeditionary Force, under the command of Brigadier General John M. Brannan, landed at Mayport Mills on the St. Johns River. The land troops were accompanied by the Union gunboats Paul Jones, Cimarron, Water Witch, Hale, Uneas and Patroon. 1867 The first post-Civil War voter registration results were filed in Tallahassee. Some 15, 441 African-Americans registered to vote compared to 11,151 whites. 1888 F. W. A. Rankin, Jr. assumed office as the Florida Secretary of State and would hold the job until succeeded by Jno. L. Crawford on January 21, 1881. 1895 The City of Cocoa, originally settled as Indian River, was incorporated today. 1910 Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, 19th governor of Florida (January 3, 1905-January 5, 1909), died today in Jacksonville at age 53. Broward, an orphan at age 12, worked as a logger, a farm hand, and a steamboat roustabout during his early years. In later life, he owned a steam tug, The Three Friends, which he commanded on eight voyages through the Spanish blockade of Cuba. Broward was carrying a cargo of war material. Elected sheriff of Duval County twice, Broward also served as a member of the Jacksonville City Council, a member of the 1901 Florida House of Representatives, and the State Board of Health. The Broward administration reorganized the state’s institutions of higher learning under a Board of Control. In addition, the administration encouraged efforts to drain the Everglades. An unsuccessful candidate for United States Senator in 1908, Broward won the Democratic nomination (and the general election) in 1910, but died before he could assume office. 1949 Long Range Proving Ground (missile testing) was activated at Cape Canaveral. 1965 Floyd T. Christian assumed the office of Superintendent of Public Education. Christian was the last person to hold this office, because the Constitutional Revision of 1968 changed the title to the Commissioner of Education. 1966 On this date, former Governor LeRoy Collins resigned his office as the United States Under Secretary of Commerce. 1971 DISNEYWORLD OPENS IN ORLANDO Although the Florida Highway Patrol had estimated the opening day crowds at Orlando’s Walt Disney World would exceed 300,000 people, the reality was that a small crowd of 10,000 persons was on hand when the gates opened on October 1. Within a month, more than 400,000 people had paid their entrance fees and visited the Magic Kingdom. Disney executives stated they were pleased with the small crowd because it allowed them to fix any problems that surfaced with a minimal inconvenience to guests. The opening was the culmination of seven years of planning, construction, and training of some 5,500 employees. The official dedication was not held until October 25. Although there was some initial confusion as attendees tried to figure out the system of toll booths to the parking lots, the opening proceeded smoothly. William Windsor, Jr. and his family made the trek to Orlando from Lakeland the day before and had spent the night in a nearby roadside rest stop, just to be among the first guests to enter the theme park. They immediately became the focus of swarms of reporters who wanted their opinions and reactions to Disney’s creation. Although many Floridians were not strong supporters of the construction of Disney World in central Florida, the theme park and others built in close proximity are responsible for almost 75 million tourists visiting the Sunshine State each year. See thisdayindisneyhistory.homestead/disneyworldgrandopening.html 1975 The division of Florida Land Sales, Condominiums and Mobile Homes of the Department of Business Regulation assumed regulatory authority for the condominium industry in the state. Russell McCaughan is credited with creating the first condominium in Florida in Boca Raton. The first legal documents concerning the ownership and operation of this development were filed on November 2, 1962. 1979 Former Governor Reubin O’D. Askew was sworn in as the United States Trade Representative with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, serving as a member of President Jimmy Carter’s Cabinet.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 12:10:37 +0000
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