Florida Governors' Portraits - James Emilius Broome

James Broome
James Emilius Broome
(1808–1883)

Third governor
October 3, 1853 to October 5, 1857

Oil over photograph, Claribel Jett, ca. 1960

James E. Broome was born in Hamburg, S.C., on December 15, 1808. He came to Tallahassee in 1837 to work as a merchant. During his career in Florida, Broome married five times and amassed one of the largest plantations in the state. Elected governor in 1852, he was a strong advocate of states' rights and became known for vetoing more acts of the legislature than any of his predecessors.

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