Spreading the Sunshine

LeRoy Collins mediates at Selma, 1965.
(Florida Photographic Collection)
The idea that Gov. Bush has a symbolic edge and special expertise that will help spread American beneficence is exciting for Florida. But it isn't the first time a Florida governor has been tapped to apply a special touch. The conquistador cannot be the only observer to notice the similarity between President Bush's decision to use Florida's governor and President Lyndon Johnson's desire to use Gov. LeRoy Collins' special knowledge of southern politics during the long and difficult days of America's civil rights struggles in the 1960s.

Four years after he left the Governor's Mansion, Collins was named director of Community Relations Services. He was present at the creation, mediating at Selma. He helped implement the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In short, he used his institutional knowledge and political skills to spread American beneficence at a time when the white hot fires of hate were raging across the former Confederacy.

Collins wasn't a perfect man, and he had endorsed segregation throughout his career as a statewide officeholder. It was in the waning days of his term as governor when he made an impromptu speech in Jacksonville describing segregation as "morally wrong." This ignited strong feelings, which were used against him by Ed Gurney the brutal 1968 campaign for the Untied States Senate. Collins lost and retired into the mist of history, where his reputation has been growing stronger with every passing year. (Gurney's name is all but forgotten, and one can only wonder about what Collins might have accomplished in the Senate.)

Today, as Gov. Bush explores a different kind of damage, the conquistador will be remembering Collins' brave stand at Selma. And the price he paid for doing the right thing.