Daniel Thomas McCarty (January 18, 1912 - September 28, 1953) was the thirty-first governor of Florida. He was born in Fort Pierce, Florida where he became a citrus grower and cattle-rancher. In 1937, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives where he served until 1941. During the 1941 session, he was the speaker of the house. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, earning the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre and reaching the rank of colonel. He was the runner up for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1948. In 1952, he ran for governor again, and this time was successful in winning the office. During his tenure, he reformed purchasing and hiring practices by the state government, boosted teachers' salaries and created scholarships for teacher training, opposed oil exploration in the Everglades, and instituted aid programs for the disabled. On February 25, 1953, he suffered a debilitating heart attack. He died on September 28, 1953 in Tallahassee, Florida.

External links

Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida (http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/museum/collections/governors/about.cfm?id=38)