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Museum Collection: Governors' Portraits @ Florida OCHP

Florida Governors' Portraits

Florida Governors
Beginning with Governor Francis Fleming in the 1890s, every chief executive of Florida has had an official portrait painted and hung in the state capitol building. Over the years, an interesting variety of artistic styles has accumulated. In the mid-1950s, the state legislature commissioned Tallahassee artist Clarabel Jett (1908–96) to create oil-enhanced photographs of all Florida governors whose portraits were not yet in the state collection. In 1986, the legislature transferred custody of the portrait collection to the Museum of Florida History.

All of the Governor's portraits are represented at the Historic Capitol. The more recent governors’ portraits appear in the first-floor hallway of the new Capitol, beginning with Claude Kirk (1967-1971) and continuing up to the most recent portrait, that of Governor Jeb Bush (January 1999 - January 2007). In keeping with the tradition of official governors’ portraits, our current governor, Charlie Crist, will not commission his portrait until the end of his term.

These are colorful portraits of colorful people, all of whom have been Florida history makers.

Click on the governor's name to see the portrait and biography.

Governors serving from 1821-1909 Governors serving from 1909-present

  Andrew Jackson   (1767–1845)

  William Pope Duval   (1784–1854)

  John Henry Eaton   (1790–1856)

  Richard Keith Call   (1792–1862)

  Robert Raymond Reid   (1789–1841)

  John Branch   (1782–1863)

  William Dunn Moseley   (1795–1863)

  Thomas Brown   (1785–1867)

  James Emilius Broome   (1808–1883)

  Madison Starke Perry   (1814–1865)

  John Milton   (1807–1865)

  Abraham Kurkindolle Allison   (1810–1893)

  William Marvin   (1808–1902)

  David Shelby Walker   (1815–1891)

  Harrison Reed   (1813–1899)

  Ossian Bingley Hart   (1821–1874)

  Marcellus Lovejoy Stearns   (1839–1891)

  George Franklin Drew   (1827–1900)

  William Dunnington Bloxham   (1835–1911)

  Edward Aylsworth Perry   (1831–1889)

  Francis Philip Fleming   (1841–1908)

  Henry Laurens Mitchell   (1831–1903)

  William Sherman Jennings   (1863–1920)

  Napoleon Bonaparte Broward   (1857–1910)

  Albert Waller Gilchrist   (1858–1926)

  Park Trammell   (1876–1936)

  Sidney Johnston Catts   (1862–1936)

  Cary Augustus Hardee   (1876–1957)

  John Wellborn Martin   (1884–1958)

  Doyle Elam Carlton   (1885–1972)

  David Sholtz   (1891–1953)

  Frederick Preston Cone   (1871–1948)

  Spessard Lindsey Holland   (1892–1971)

  Millard Fillmore Caldwell   (1897–1984)

  Fuller Warren   (1905–1973)

  Daniel Thomas McCarty   (1912–1953)

  Charley Eugene Johns   (1905–1990)

  Thomas LeRoy Collins   (1909–1991)

  Cecil Farris Bryant   (1914–2002)

  William Haydon Burns   (1912–1987)

  Claude Roy Kirk   (1926– )

  Reubin O'Donovon Askew   (1928– )

  Daniel Robert Graham   (1936– )

  John Wayne Mixson   (1922– )

  Robert "Bob" Martinez   (1934– )

  Lawton Mainor Chiles   (1930–1998)

  Kenneth Hood Mackay   (1933–)

  John Ellis Bush   (1953–)

  Charlie Crist   (1956–)