William Sherman Jennings

Infobox Governor
name = William Sherman Jennings

---

order = 18th
office = Governor of Florida
term_start = January 8, 1901
term_end = January 3, 1905
lieutenant =
predecessor = William D. Bloxham
successor = Napoleon B. Broward
birth_date = March 24, 1863
birth_place = Walnut Hill, Illinois
death_date = February 27, 1920
death_place = St. Augustine, Florida
party = Democratic
spouse =
profession =
religion =

William Sherman Jennings (March 24,1863ndash February 27,1920) was a U.S. politician. He served as the eighteenth governor of Florida after being a lawyer, county judge and state representative.

Early years and education

He was born near Walnut Hill, Illinois, and attended public schools in Marion County. Jennings graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1883, then studied law at the Union College of Law in Chicago (now named Northwestern University School of Law). and finished his law studies in Chicago under the supervision of his brother, Charles E. Jennings, who was the State's Attorney for Marion County. [http://everglades.fiu.edu/reclaim/bios/jenningsws.htm Florida International University: Reclaiming the Everglades-biography of William Sherman Jennings] ]

Florida

He came to Florida in 1885 and settled in Brooksville, Florida. In 1887, he was appointed circuit court commissioner, and became county judge of Hernando County, Florida in 1888.

Marriage

Jennings met May Mann at her father’s home near Brooksville, and began a courtship. [http://everglades.fiu.edu/reclaim/bios/jenningsmm.htm Florida International University: Reclaiming the Everglades-May Mann Jennings] ] May's father, Austin Mann, had been a Florida Senator and had just won election to the state house of representatives. When the legislative session began in January, 1891, May went to Tallahassee to serve as her father's aide, with responsibility for her father's appointments, correspondence and hosting social events. [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/040903/nec_12220156.shtml Florida Times-Union: April 9, 2003-Wife turns into a good politician by Mary Jo McTammany] ] Williams Jennings went to Tallahassee to continue his courtship. Judge Jennings married May Mann on May 12, 1891 and they were escorted down the aisle by the full legislative membership. The newlyweds lived in Brooksville in the William Sherman Jennings House. The couple had one child, a son, Sherman Bryan Jennings.

tate office

Politics and the law were prominent in his family. In addition to his brother, who was a lawyer and state attorney, he was a first cousin to William Jennings Bryan, congressman and three-time Democratic presidential nominee. Jennings resigned his office as county judge in 1893 to serve in the Florida House of Representative, eventually becoming speaker in 1895.After his term ended, he served as a Colonel in the Florida militia, was president of the Brooksville town council and chairman of the Democratic committee.William Sherman Jennings campaigned for and was elected governor in 1900, taking the oath of office on January 8, 1901. During his term in office, he introduced the statewide primary election system, replacing the previous method of nominating candidates for political office at a convention. The first statewide primary election was conducted in 1902. [http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/museum/collections/governors/about.cfm?id=25 Florida Division of Historical Resources: Florida Governors' Portraits-William Sherman Jennings] ] It was also Jennings idea to drain and develop the Everglades by cutting the natural rock dams in the rivers of south Florida. His term ended on January 3, 1905.

Remaining years

The couple moved to Jacksonville, then Florida’s largest city, where he established a successful law practice. They divided their time between a home in Jacksonville and a farm and timber holdings in Clay County near Middleburg. [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/101307/nec_207484330.shtml My Clay Sun: October 11, 2007-W.S. Jennings' name became part of Liberty ship lore] ]

Also in 1905, he was appointed by Governor Napoleon B. Broward as General Counsel for the Internal Improvement Fund, the state agency responsible for administering public lands. The new governor also favored the development of the Everglades, so in this position, which Jennings held until 1909, he was able to continue leading drainage activities in the Everglades. [ [http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/spec/pkyonge/JenningsWilliamS.htm University of Florida Smathers libraries: Special collections-William Sherman Jennings Papers] ]

Death

William Sherman Jennings died on February 28,1920 in St. Augustine, Florida and was buried in Jacksonville, Florida. [ [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6891994 Find-A-Grave website: William Sherman Jennings] ]

References

External links

* [http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/museum/collections/governors/about.cfm?id=25 Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6891994 William Jennings on Find-A-Grave]