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A Guide to the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Papers

Finding aid prepared by John R. Nemmers

University of Florida Smathers Libraries - Special and Area Studies Collections
August 2004


Descriptive Summary

Provenance: Broward, Napoleon Bonaparte
Title: Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Papers
Dates: 1879-1918
Bulk dates: 1904-1910
Extent: 10.75 linear ft. 14 Boxes
Identification: MS 9


Biographical/Historical Note

Napoleon Bonaparte Broward was born in Duval County, Florida, in 1857. Throughout his young life he worked in various positions on farms, in logging camps, and on steamboats. As the owner of a steam tug, The Three Friends, he earned a reputation smuggling guns to Cuban revolutionaries prior to the Spanish-American War. Broward held various public positions, serving as sheriff of Duval County, on the Jacksonville city council, in the Florida House of Representatives (1901), and on the State Board of Health (1901-1904). He served one term as Governor of Florida, from 1905 to 1909. As Governor, he was instrumental in the drainage of the Everglades and encouraged development in South Florida. Following his gubenatorial term, he was elected U.S. Senator in 1910 but died before taking office.


Scope and Content

The Broward Papers date from 1879 to 1918, but the bulk of the papers coincide with the gubernatorial term from 1905 to 1909. The major subject covered in the collection is the drainage of the Everglades and the development of South Florida lands. Additional topics include real estate, race relations, education, labor unions, liquor, taxes, transportation, waterways, railways, and Broward's campaigns for Governor and the U.S. Senate. The collection is comprised of incoming and outgoing correspondence, speeches, news clippings, campaign material, photographs (including images of dredging operations), legislative material, and legal documents. There are a small number of articles, pamphlets, circulars, and other publications pertaining to the drainage of the Everglades, dredging equipment, forestry, sugar, and waterways. In addition to the incoming and outgoing correspondence, there are four bound letterbooks containing letters written by Broward in 1905-1909. Correspondents include numerous real estate developers, business leaders, representatives of state and federal agencies, and Florida politicians such as William Sherman Jennings.


Access or Use Restrictions

Access

Collection is open for research.


Related or Separated Material

For additional materials pertaining to Governor Broward and his efforts to drain the Everglades, consult the William Sherman Jennings Papers, the May Mann Jennings Papers, and the Thomas E. Will Papers.


Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Papers, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Elsie Douglas and Napoleon B. Broward, son of Governor Broward. Additional material was acquired in 2003 from the Samuel P. Harn Museum at the University of Florida.

Processing History

An addition to the collection was processed in 2003, which consisted of publications, speeches, blueprints, and correspondence files.


Series 1 - Correspondence, Business and Legal Papers, 1879-1918

The correspondence, business and legal papers in this series are arranged chronologically from 1879 to 1918. Among the correspondents included are Frank A. Walpole, F.P. Cone, A.T. Cornwall, William Jennings Bryan, G.L. Loew, M.A. Brown, W.C. Hodges, J.A. Dapray, Albert B. Cumming, T.J. Faulkner, Claude L'Engle, George C. Bedell, Wilkinson Call, William S. Jennings, John Temple Graves, as well as various members of the Broward family.

Box 1

1879-1900.
1901-1903.
January, 1904.
February, 1904.
March, 1904.
April, 1904.
May 1-20, 1904.
May 21-31, 1904.

Box 2

June 1-11, 1904.
June 12-30, 1904.
July, 1904.
August, 1904.
September, 1904.
October, 1904.
November, 1904.
December, 1904.

Box 3

January-February, 1905.
March 1-12, 1905.
March 13-31, 1905.
April, 1905.
May-June, 1905.
July-August, 1905.
September-October, 1905.
November-December, 1905.

Box 4

January, 1906.
February, 1906.
March, 1906.
April, 1906.
May, 1906.
June, 1906.
July, 1906.
August 1-20, 1906.
August 21-31, 1906.
September 1-20, 1906.

Box 5

September 21-30, 1906.
October, 1906.
November, 1906.
December, 1906.
January, 1907.
February, 1907.
March, 1907.
April, 1907.
May, 1907.

Box 5A

June, 1907.
July, 1907.
August-September, 1907.
October, 1907.
November, 1907.
December, 1907.

Box 6

January, 1908.
February, 1908.
March 1-20, 1908.
March 21-31, 1908.
April 1-2, 1908.
April 3-7, 1908.
April 8-9, 1908.

Box 7

April 10-15, 1908.
April 16-19, 1908.
April 20-24, 1908.
April 25-30, 1908.
May 1-14, 1908.
May 15-31, 1908.
June 1-15, 1908.
June 16-30, 1908.

Box 8

July, 1908.
August, 1908.
September, 1908.
October, 1908.
November, 1908.
December, 1908.

Box 9

March-May, 1909.
June, 1909.
July, 1909.
August, 1909.
September, 1909.
October-December, 1909.
1910.
1911.
1912-1918.



Series 2 - Miscellaneous, 1879-1918 and n.d.

This small series includes speeches, campaign material, news clippings, legislative material, and files pertaining to topics such as the Everglades and Florida prisons. Also included is correspondence, primarily undated and of a personal nature. The files in this series are arranged alphabetically.

Box 9

Campaign Materials.
Lists.
Everglades Materials.

Box 10

Newspaper Clippings.
Personal Correspondence.
Pertaining to Legislation.
Political Speeches.
Prison Material.
Publications.
Undated Correspondence and Business Papers.
Undated Telegrams.



Series 3 - Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers (2003 Addition), 1904-1916

This series primarily consists of correspondence and documents created during Broward's term as Governor. A major topic is the Everglades and the drainage of South Florida lands. Other topics include campaigns for election, liquor, questionable land transaction, taxes, railways, and a street car union strike in Pensacola. There is a small amount of material pertaining to the Jacksonville Towing and Wrecking Co. and the "Three Friends" case, as well as two cases involving the Southern States Land and Timber Co. and the Florida Publishing Co. The files in this series are arranged alphabetically.

Box 11

Articles re: Drainage of the Everglades and South Florida. n.d.
Campaign Activities. 1906
Campaign Literature. n.d. (ca. 1906)
Committee on Taxation and Revenue. n.d.
Dispensary Legislation and Liquor Traffic. 1904
Drainage Tax Relief (Veto). 1909
Ennis, John E. Correspondence. 1906
Financial Documents (Statements, Checks, etc.). 1907-1916
Florida East Coast Railway Company vs. W.S. Jennings et al. (Internal Improvement Fund). 1905
General Correspondence - Incoming. 1905-1910
Governor Broward's Land Transactions. 1910
Incoming Telegrams - General. 1908
Jacksonville Towing and Wrecking Company and the "Three Friends" Case. 1915-1916
Letter to Theodore Roosevelt re: Circuit Judge position for Florida's Northern District. 1907
Milton and Daytona Beach Cities. 1905
Napoleon B. Broward vs. Florida Publishing Company (Libel). 1907
National Drainage Association. 1908
Open Letter of Governor N.B. Broward to the People of Florida. 1906
Railroad Support for Robert W. Davis in Election. 1904
Southern States Land and Timber Co. vs. Board of Drainage Commissioners of Florida (Affidavits). 1906
Southern States Land and Timber Co. vs. Board of Drainage Commissioners (W.S. Jennings Brief). 1906
Street Car Union Employees Strike, Pensacola. 1908
To the Editor of the Mercury re: Florida East Coast Railway and Everglades. n.d.
What Has Broward Done?. n.d.



Series 4 - Speeches and Writings (2003 Addition), 1905-1908 and n.d.

The majority of the documents in this series are not dated, but seem to date from Broward's term as Governor. Topics include the drainage of the Everglades, waterways, railways, transportation, conservation, taxation, race relations, state life insurance, education, and general legislation. The files in this series are arranged alphabetically.

Box 11

Broward-Beard Debate on Drainage of the Everglades. n.d.
Bucket Shops (Gambling). n.d.
Capitol Building Addition. n.d.
Conservation of Natural Resources. n.d.
County Commissioners. n.d.
Education (Common Schools, Compulsory Education). n.d.
Franchise Tax. n.d.
Franchise Tax. n.d.
Lobby. n.d.
Message of the Governor to the Florida Senate and Representatives. n.d. (ca. 1907)
Primary Election Victory. n.d. (ca. 1905)
Race Relations. n.d.
Railroad Legislation. n.d.
School Books. n.d.
State Board of Health. n.d.
State Life Insurance. n.d.
State Pardoning Board. n.d.
Sugar Industry (Everglades - South Florida land). n.d.
Transportation Facilities (Railroads and Waterways). n.d.

Box 12

Waterways of the Nation. n.d. (ca. 1908)
Why the Railroads Want a Governor. n.d.



Series 5 - Publications (2003 Addition), 1900-1909

This small series includes publications, journal articles, pamphlets, circulars, and catalogs. Several items are related to the drainage of the Everglades, including dredging equipment, forestry, sugar, and waterways. Authors and publishers include J. Frank Hanly, the Bucyrus Co., Wetherill Bros., Judge Benjamin, and Claude L'Engle. The files in this series are arranged alphabetically.

Box 12

"Arboriculture" (Vol IV, No. 2 and 4) re: Florida Forestry and Everglades. 1905
"Buckeye Traction Ditcher" (2 copies). 1909
"Course of Study, Rules and Regulations for the Public Schools of Escambia County, Florida". 1903
"Dipper Dredges" by the Bucyrus Company. n.d.
"Direct Legislation" by Parsons (Equity Series). 1900
"Dredging Machinery" by Wetherill Bros. Machine Company. 1909
"The Everglades of Florida and the Landes of France" by Gifford (Reprint) and "Conservation" Vol. XV. 1909
"Everglades: Home of the Sugar Cane" (3 copies). n.d. (ca. 1905)
"Florida Democratic Primary Elections: Platform Provisions, Call and Election Law". 1902
"The Indeterminate Sentence," an address by J. Frank Hanly. 1907
"A List of the Trees of the State of Florida" by Gifford. 1909
"Mosquitoes of Florida" by Byrd (Reprint). 1905
"The Present Aspect of the Mississippi River Problem". n.d.
"The Prevention of Trusts and Monopolies" by Judge Benjamin. 1906
"Project of the Atlantic Deeper Waterways Association". 1909
"Report of the Special Joint Committee of the Legislature of Florida on the Drainage of the Everglades of Florida". 1909
"Some Incidents in the Career of John A. Graham" by Claude L'Engle. 1906
"Southern Florida: Notes on the Forest Conditions..." by Gifford. 1904
"The True Way to Simplify Our Land Titles and Improve Our Land Taxing System" by Kenney. 1906



Series 6 - Photographs, 1905-1908 and n.d.

The majority of the photographs in this series are not dated. Several images are portraits of Broward and family members, including his wife and children. Other images include New River dredging operations, Broward's inauguration, and a group including Elsie Douglas at Hot Springs.

Box 13

Broward portrait. n.d.
Broward portrait. n.d.
Broward portrait. n.d.
Broward with group. n.d.
Broward-related. n.d.
Broward-related. n.d.
Broward-related. n.d.
Broward portrait. n.d.
Mrs. Broward portrait. n.d.
Mrs. Broward portrait. n.d.
Broward with group. n.d.
Broward on ox cart. n.d.
Taking inaugural oath. 1905
Inaugural speech. 1905
Broward surveying assembly of New River dredge. n.d. (ca. 1906)
Dredge in operation - New River Canal. 1906
Broward in Teddy Roosevelt pose? (Palm Beach?). 1907-1908
Broward with group (including Elsie Douglas) at Hot Springs. 1908
Broward family photo. 1908
Mrs. Broward portrait. n.d.
Mrs. Broward portrait. n.d.
Broward at desk. n.d.
Broward portrait. n.d.
Alex Douglas Broward. n.d.
Two Unidentified Men (Man on left is probably Broward). n.d.
Unidentified Woman (probably Elizabeth Broward). n.d.



Series 7 - News Clippings and Articles (2003 Addition), 1903-1910

This small series includes news clippings and articles, primarily covering Broward's term as Governor and his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Several political cartoons from this period are included, and clippings cover topics such as the drainage of the Everglades, education, Flagler, Standard Oil, Broward's inauguration, campaigns for election, and his death in 1910. The files in this series are arranged alphabetically.

Box 14

Death of Broward. 1910
Election Campaigns. 1904-1910
Everglades Drainage. 1905-1910
General Articles and Editorials. 1905-1910
Inauguration. 1905
Political Cartoons. 1903-1910
Sanford Chronicle Industrial Edition, Autumn 1908 - "The Celery City, Sanford, Florida". 1908
The Mercury, September 11, 1906 - "Flagler Standard Oil Octopus... Key West". 1906
The Sun, March 31, 1906 - "Can Trustees Save the Land" by Broward. 1906
The Sun, July 28, 1906 - "Gov. Broward on Drainage Opposition". 1906



Series 8 - Blueprints (2003 Addition), 1903 and n.d.

Two blueprints (stored in map case drawers):
A "Survey of new line approved" (Lake Okeechobee).
Unidentified steam tug.



Series 9 - Letterbooks, 1905-1909

Four bound volumes containing correspondence covering Broward's term as Governor:
1905.
1905-1907.
1905-1908.
1908-1909.



Selected Subjects and Access Points

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog:
Drainage--Florida--Everglades.
Elections--Florida.
Everglades (Fla.)
Florida--Politics and government--1865-1950.
Florida. Legislature.


For further information, please contact: Special Collections Access Services.

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