Spessard Lindsey Holland (July 10, 1892 – November 6, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician. A Southern Democrat, he served as the 28th governor of Florida from 1941 to 1945, and as a U.S. senator for Florida from 1946 to 1971. He was the first person born in Florida to serve as governor and U.S. senator for the state. While serving as a U.S. senator he would notably introduce the 24th Amendment. On the death of U.S. senator Charles O. Andrews, Holland was appointed by Governor Millard F. Caldwell on September 25, 1946, to serve out the rest of Andrews' term, which was to expire the following January. He was elected to a full term in November 1946 and was re-elected senator in 1952, 1958 and 1964, retiring in January 1971. In 1882 he moved to Bartow, Florida, where he created the first abstract company in Polk County; He attended public schools, graduating from the Summerlin Institute in 1909. Holland graduated magna cum laude from Emory College (now Emory University) in Atlanta in 1912. Holland went on to teach high school in Warrenton, Georgia, from 1912 to 1914. Holland then resumed his law practice in Bartow. Publicly, Holland cited two reasons for his opposition to the poll tax. The first was that he thought it allowed politicians to "buy" their way into office through political machines. Secondly, he thought that eliminating the poll tax would increase voter turnout in elections.
Gubernatorial campaign
Holland announced he was running for governor on December 4, 1939, after considering running for U.S. senator but deciding against it. His campaign platform called for expanding assistance to the elderly through increasing a tax on horse and dog tracks, making highways safer, continuing a ban on poll taxes for state elections, creating Everglades National Park, giving state financial aid for economic development, regulating salary buyers (loan sharks), repealing the gross receipts tax, and improving working conditions in Florida. He also pitched himself as being hard on crime but for tourism in the state. Holland also identified himself with the progressive policies of the Roosevelt Administration, expressing his support in late 1940 for a number of New Deal measures that he felt had benefited moderate income groups and the middle class such as social security and rural electrification.
In the initial primary, Holland finished first but failed to attain the required majority of the vote. Advancing to a runoff, he faced Francis P. Whitehair, who attacked Holland throughout the runoff campaign. Whitehair said in a speech that Holland was a candidate for "'an invisible government' of duPont interests, chain stores, and a fertilizer trust." Holland, for his part, charged that Whitehair was a product of a political machine; Whitehair accused Holland of the same thing.
Holland ended up winning the runoff. For the general election, the Republicans nominated John F. Walter as their candidate for governor, but he ended up dropping out; Walter's party then was a distinct minority in Florida. Holland ended up winning the general election even more easily than Democrats usually did at the time.
Governorship
Overview
While governor, Holland promoted the establishment of military bases in his state. He also supported the state public school system's financial condition. A variety of financial reforms were also undertaken during his tenure.
Concerns about World War II were dominant with audiences during Holland's campaign for governor; he wished for peace but said that preparations should be made in case of American involvement in the war. He began those preparations with a review of $7 million in State Road Department contracts made during the administration of his predecessor as governor, Fred P. Cone. Holland and his wife attended President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third inauguration and while in Washington, D.C., he spoke with federal authorities and Florida's congressional delegation about getting more money for defense road construction; he was successful in obtaining the funds. Florida saw an increase in military activities during the mobilization prior to entering World War II.
When Holland became governor, he attempted to improve Florida's record on lynching. Florida, like the rest of the Southern U.S., faced pressure to take action on lynching during the 1940s. Holland's first challenge came on May 12, 1941, when 22-year-old A.C. Williams, an African-American accused of raping a 12-year-old girl and committing a robbery, was abducted in Quincy, Florida and lynched. Afterward, there was pressure on the local government to act as it was feared that the federal government would become involved; pressure was also seen from the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching (ASWPL), who wrote letters to Holland. In response, Holland called for an investigation into the death of Williams and named Maurice Tripp as the special investigator. A spokesperson for Holland said: "he would be able to reach a decision on whether any action by him against Quincy law enforcement authorities was justified. The pressure of legislative business on the governor was heavy, and the inquest transcript is long." Tripp submitted a report to Governor Holland on May 25, 1941, and in July 1942 the case was given to the United States Department of Justice, which reviewed it. The identities of those who killed Williams were never discovered.
When American involvement in World War II began with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Holland promoted new military bases in Florida and co-ordinated state defenses with the federal government. Governor Holland put the Florida Highway Patrol on standby to assist the Federal Bureau of Investigation with taking Japanese Americans and foreigners into custody.
The impact of World War II was felt at a more personal level in Holland's life as well. One of his sons, Spessard Holland Jr., served as a Marine in the South Pacific. The family planted a victory garden and set up a chicken coop at the Governor's Mansion. Holland's daughter Mary volunteered as an aircraft spotter, while his daughter Ivanhoe and his wife Mary sewed squares to be used in quilts sent to U.S. troops. The mansion was visited by British soldiers who were training in the area; the First Lady corresponded with the soldiers' mothers.
1942
When the United States entered World War II, German admiral Karl Dönitz launched Operation Drumbeat starting in January 1942, in an effort to cause significant damage to American shipping along the Eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast. Except for a brief lull in March, U-boat activity on Florida's coasts lasted until April. As a result of the U-boat activity, tourism declined in the state, and the idea of building the Cross Florida Barge Canal was revived. Holland was neutral on the canal compared to U.S. senators Charles O. Andrews and Claude Pepper, who strongly supported it. Holland said the reason behind his neutrality was because the canal itself was incredibly controversial.
During the 1942 general election, Holland participated despite not being up for re-election. He traveled throughout the state making public appearances in an attempt to generate interest in the election, trying to get a gas tax amendment passed. Holland made a statewide radio address urging people to vote. That year nine amendments were on the ballot, and Holland backed three of them: an amendment that would streamline the process for amending the state constitution, the gas tax amendment and another that would create a state freshwater fish & game commission. All nine amendments passed that year with almost no opposition.
1943
During 1943 there were calls for a special session of the state legislature. State Senator Wallace E. Sturgis, from Ocala, wanted a special session to revise an absentee-voting law to allow Floridians serving in the military outside the state to register to vote. Sturgis later got the backing of the president pro tempore of the Senate, Ernest F. Householder. Those wanting to repeal the cigarette tax also joined in calling for a special session. Holland reacted to this by attempting to reduce enthusiasm for a special session. Regarding the absentee-voting law, Holland thought that it did a good job when it came to initial primaries except in instances of those who became 21 prior to leaving the state. However, he thought it was not practical with runoffs, as they were very close in time to the first contests, along with being able to send out and receive returned ballots as well. As for the cigarette tax, Holland opposed repealing it, as it could serve as a supplement in case other taxes were decreased. Holland also cited potential changes in wartime restrictions. Having a special session became a significant issue in the 1944 Democratic gubernatorial primaries.
U.S. senator
On September 25, 1946, Governor Caldwell appointed Holland to fill the U.S. Senate vacancy created by the death of Charles O. Andrews a week earlier. In November, Holland defeated Republican J. Harry Schad to win a full six-year term.
Holland, like many Southern Democrats, was a conservative who was pro-business, supported racial segregation, staunchly opposed the civil rights movement and labor unions, and believed in a limited federal government and states' rights. He opposed Harry Truman's proposals for national health insurance and the Fair Employment Practices Commission, and voted to override Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act. Holland's views contrasted with those of Claude Pepper, the senior U.S. senator from Florida during his first four years, who was a more outspoken liberal.
First term
As he had in the Florida Senate, Holland supported abolishing the poll tax for federal elections during his time in the U.S. Senate, making an attempt to ban it during every session for a dozen years after arriving in Congress. During the 80th Congress, allies in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced H.R. 29, which passed the House on a 290-112 vote on July 21, 1947, but was filibustered in the Senate. During the following 81st Congress, H.R. 3199 was introduced; it passed the House on July 26, 1949, on a 273-116 vote, but failed to get past the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. On other issues, Holland remained a segregationist who supported discrimination against Black voters, but maintained his view that the poll tax should be repealed because it was a form of wealth discrimination. He, along with all other senators from the former Confederate states (except Lyndon B. Johnson, Estes Kefauver, and Albert Gore, Sr.), signed the 1956 "Southern Manifesto", which condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), declaring that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional, and promised to resist its implementation.
Holland did favor statehood for Alaska and Hawaii. The first Southerner to support statehood for Hawaii, and the Hawaii Admission Act. Along with his support for Alaska's statehood, he introduced the two senators-elect from Alaska who were produced as a result of the Alaska-Tennessee Plan to the U.S. Senate: E.L. "Bob" Bartlett and Ernest Gruening.
Third term
Up for re-election in 1958, Holland was challenged by his former colleague Claude Pepper (who had been defeated for renomination in 1950) in the Democratic primary. After fending off Pepper's challenge, he easily defeated his Republican opponent, Leland Hyzer, in November to win a third term.
During the 87th Congress, Holland finally succeeded in his long-standing quest to ban the poll tax federally. Holland introduced a constitutional amendment that would prohibit states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax. The amendment was approved by a required two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress in August 1962 and was quickly ratified by the required three-fourths of the states (38), and in January 1964 became the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Described as a conservative Democrat, Holland believed in maintaining the filibuster and believed that civil rights was a matter for the states. Speaking in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Holland said "We'll stand up and fight as long as we can".
Fourth term
Holland won a fourth term in 1964, this time defeating Republican Claude R. Kirk, Jr. (who would be elected governor in 1966). In November 1969, at the age of 77, Holland announced that he would not seek re-election in 1970. He actively campaigned for Democrat Lawton Chiles, who defeated Republican U.S. representative William C. Cramer in the general election. Cramer had the endorsement of President Richard Nixon, and had handily defeated G. Harrold Carswell (whom Nixon had earlier nominated unsuccessfully to the U.S. Supreme Court) in the Republican primary.
Personal life
Holland married Mary Agnes Groover (born July 31, 1896) on February 8, 1919, and they were together until his death. Together they had four children: Spessard Lindsey Holland Jr. (1921-1989), Mary Groover Holland Lewis (1924-1997), William Benjamin Holland (1926-1974) and Ivanhoe Holland Craney.
Spessard Holland was also a member of several fraternities during his life: Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Tau Omega and Phi Delta Phi. He was involved with Freemasonry, being a 33rd degree and a Shriner. Holland also was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bartow's Kiwanis club and the Elks.
He was described as being a conservationist and enjoyed birdwatching. Holland liked hunting and fishing as well. He was a fan of baseball and football and played tennis; he enjoyed collecting books on Florida history.
Holland left office in January 1971. He died of a heart attack at his Bartow home only ten months later, on November 6, 1971, at age 79.