In 1942, he ran for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives and won. He resigned the seat to join the armed services during World War II where he served in the U.S. Navy as a gunnery and antisubmarine officer in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific. In 1946, he was elected again to his seat and served five consecutive terms through 1956, serving as speaker in 1953.
Governor's office
In 1960, he was elect governor and took the oath of office on January 3, 1961. His administration continued the focus on education that his predecessor Governor T. LeRoy Collins. He help in obtaining funds for twenty-eight junior colleges and additional state universities. He worked to get interstate and state highways built in Florida. He also worked to purchase public lands for future use by the state, stating that it was important to do it now, "before are the need arose--or before it became critical". He also was a major proponent of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. He left office on January 5, 1965.
The Bryant papers are of interest to researchers interested in Florida legislative and gubernatorial politics and activities in the period from 1950-1960, covering such area as integration, the Florida Turnpike, the 1956 and 1960 gubernatorial campaigns, the 1960 Presidential campaign in Florida, education, and the Cross-Florida Barge Canal.
Cecil FarrisBryant was born in Marion County, Florida on July 26, 1914, the son of Cecil and Lela (Farris) Bryant.
His uncle, Ion Farris, served with distinction in the Florida House of Representatives from Duval County from 1907 to 1913, serving as Speaker of the House in 1909 and 1913; he later served in the Florida State Senate from the 19th district (1915-1917), and was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1916.
FarrisBryant, a Florida governor celebrated as a master builder of highways and universities who served during years of explosive growth and racial tension, died Friday in Jacksonville.
Gov. Bryant was a strong supporter of states' rights, a euphemism for segregation, and he once testified before Congress in favor of giving merchants the right to provide service to whomever they chose.
The son of a farmer and self-taught accountant, Cecil FarrisBryant was born in Marion County near the farm his paternal grandfather established there in 1890.
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