Looking back at the lawyers, leaders, and legacies of 1949
As The Florida Bar marks its 75th year, The Florida Bar News continues revisiting moments that helped shape Florida’s legal profession.
This installment travels back to 1949, a period when Florida was entering the explosive growth that followed World War II, but the state’s legal community still retained the feel of a small, close-knit profession.
At the time, paid membership in the Florida State Bar Association stood at just 2,373 lawyers, up from 2,258 the year before. Association leaders expected membership to soon approach 2,500 — roughly three-fourths of all practicing attorneys in Florida.
The profession was small enough that lawyers across the state regularly followed one another’s careers, vacations, illnesses, marriages, military service, and office moves through the pages of The Florida Law Journal, predecessor to today’s Florida Bar Journal & News. Regular features such as “They Tell Me That” and “Life’s Record Closed” read less like formal legal reporting and more like a community bulletin board for Florida lawyers.
Yet even as it maintained that small-town character, Florida’s organized bar was emerging as a national force.
In 1949, the Florida State Bar Association entered the ABA’s prestigious Award of Merit competition alongside much larger states such as California, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Among the association’s accomplishments were completion of a proposed revision of the Florida Constitution, advancement of bar integration before the Florida Supreme Court, development of new rules of civil procedure intended to streamline litigation, work toward uniform juvenile courts, expansion of statewide legal aid programs, and the beginning of an effort to draft an entirely new code of evidence.
The association’s legal aid work drew national praise from the ABA, which called Florida’s efforts “an outstanding example of what can be accomplished by an enthusiastic interest at the state bar level.” Legal aid organizations were already operating in 40 Florida cities, with plans to expand into every county.
The following excerpts from the October 1949 edition of the Journal capture both sides of that era — a profession taking on increasingly sophisticated statewide legal reforms while still operating as a remarkably personal community.
Many of the names appearing in these pages remain recognizable today.
They Tell Me That
Gov. Millard Caldwell
Former Governor Millard Caldwell is president of the Tallahassee State Bank, which opened for business on September 1.
Wide publicity was given by Florida newspapers to the report that general session laws of the 1949 Legislature became available in printed form in record time. Part of the work of speeding up the printing was handled by the law reporting committee of the Florida State Bar Association.
The Palm Beach Times published a lengthy editorial commending the Association on its record of achievements in 1948-1949. The record has been submitted to the American Bar Association for consideration in the Award of Merit contest. Jacksonville lawyers are presidents of ten community service organizations listed in the Council of Social Agencies directory.
The Palm Beach County Bar Association discontinued its monthly meetings for August and September because so many members are on vacation.
Former Supreme Court Justice Paul D. Barns says in Miami that he will give “serious consideration” to it if he is offered appointment as a federal judge. The Dade County Bar Association is actively seeking the appointment of a Miami attorney.
The Orlando Star said in an editorial: “Florida’s institutions of higher learning have lost an able official in the resignation of J. Thomas Gurney of this city as chairman of the Board of Control.”
Mrs. Anna Brenner Meyers of Miami has returned from a trip to Palestine.
William Benjamin Holland, son of U. S. Senator Spessard Holland, has opened his law office in Winter Haven. He graduated from the University of Florida in June.
E. Harris Drew, attorney for the town of Palm Beach, has been named sixth vice president of the Florida League of Municipalities.
Mr. and Mrs. John Murrell, both Miami attorneys, are at their Wyoming ranch for six weeks.
Col. Ira C. Hopper of Zephyrhills has been ill as the result of a heart attack. He is former secretary of state of Arkansas.
J. Fritz Gordon is going to South Africa on a big game hunting trip with Dr. J. A. Smith of Homestead.
City Attorney William M. Madison advised the Jacksonville city commission that the city should inspect trees growing in public places, such as street rights-of-way, to determine whether they are in safe condition. The advice followed a decision by the Supreme Court affirming a judgment against the city of Jacksonville for damages caused to an automobile by a falling tree.
B.K. Roberts
B.K. Roberts, 42 years old, is the youngest justice of the Florida Supreme court. He went on the bench September 1. Roberts received the oath of office from President Richard H. Hunt of the State Bar Association. It was the first time a supreme court justice has been sworn in by the Bar Association’s president.
Five new members have been admitted to the Bar Association of Tampa and Hillsborough county. They are William Reece Smith, Jr., Herbert G. Goldberg, Bob M. Johnson, James F. Minnett and J. C. Strickland.
Keith Collyer of Avon Park has been named attorney for the Highlands County commission.
Mrs. Patricia Warren of Jacksonville Beach has been appointed a junior attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice at Washington.
Max Brewer, attorney, is the new president of the Titusville Junior Chamber of Commerce.
W.A. Stanly has been reappointed attorney for the city of Jacksonville Beach.
Twelve attorneys were admitted to practice in federal court during ceremonies at Tampa by U. S. Judge Barker. They are Gordon B. Knowles, Jr., of Bradenton, Stanley James Smitzes of Tarpon Springs, Mary Elizabeth Mann of St. Petersburg, C. B. Myers of Lake Wales, Arthur T. Ratcliffe of St. Petersburg Beach, William H. Carey of St. Petersburg, William J. McLeod, George S. Saltman, Frank D. McDevitt, all of St. Petersburg, Frank C. Stanley, Jr., of Auburndale, and Worth Dexter, Jr., of Sarasota.
Sam Y. Algood of New Port Richey has been appointed assistant prosecuting attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit.
Sylvester Adair, June graduate of the University of Miami, has opened his law offices in Homestead.
Herbert F. Darby, recent graduate of the University of Florida, has opened law offices in Lake City.
Arthur T. Boone of Jacksonville is now practicing with Truman G. Futch, Jr., in Leesburg.
Charles M. Phillips, Jr., who has been associated with Casler & Douglas, has opened his law office in the Bank of Clearwater building.
James Velma Keen
J. Velma Keen of Tallahassee, Bar Association representative, attended a Jacksonville meeting at which the Continuing Educational Council urged the Legislature in special session to provide revenues for the $99,793,000 appropriations for the public school program.
Municipal Judge Winston E. Arnow of Gainesville resigned to devote full time to his law practice.
Emile Gus Musleh of Ocala, recent graduate of Stetson, has joined the criminal division of the Department of Justice in Washington.
Women are not rushing in to serve as jurors. A survey recently by the Associated Press showed, for example, that only about 200 had registered in Dade County, and a mere handful in other counties. Jury service is voluntary, and the woman willing to serve must first register before her name will be placed in the jury box.
The Committee on Law Reporting has received press commendation for its assistance in getting early printing of the laws passed by the 1949 Legislature. A bar association representative assisted in preparing a news release about the laws that was published in nearly every newspaper in the state.
The Jacksonville Bar Association is actively pushing forward its efforts to get a new courthouse built in Duval county.
Miss Virginia Van Dyke Wessel and Leonard Robbins, attorney, were married recently in Hollywood. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Harvard Law School.
Justice B.K. Roberts was the guest of honor at a dinner by the Tallahassee Bar Association, of which he is past president.
William D. Hixon, recent graduate of the University of Florida, has opened law offices at Naples, in Collier county.
Eight Miami lawyers were among 113 reserve officers who attended a two-weeks judge advocate general corps school at Fort Bennings, Ga. They are Col. R. E. Kunkel, Lt. Col. George R. Morris, Lt. Col. John W. Prunty, Major Frank J. Rosemond, Maj. Samuel D. Wallace, Capt. Emanuel Levenson, Capt. Robert L. Young, and Lt. David M. Bloomberg.
Helen Tanos, National Airlines chief stewardess, graduated from the University of Miami and was sworn in as an attorney by Circuit Judge Marshall Wisehart at Miami.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Fleming of Fort Lauderdale (he’s an attorney) witnessed the swearing in of their son John Fleming, by Circuit Judge Joseph White as a member of the bar in Broward county.
Richard M. Harris, graduate of Stetson, has opened his law office in Belle Glade.
Chief Justice Alto Adams
Chief Justice Alto Adams delivered the address to the summer graduating class of Florida State University.
Attorney General Richard W. Ervin delivered the address to the Summer graduating class of the University of Florida.
Life’s Record Closed
Joseph W. Frazier, Jr., of Tampa, died from a heart attack suffered while driving in his car on August 14. He was 44, a graduate of the University of Florida law school in 1929. Survivors include his widow and two sons.
B.S. Hammond, 58, Orlando, died August 15. He came to Orlando as a child from Montreal, Canada, 50 years ago. He was a graduate of the University of Toronto. He had practiced in Orlando since 1920. Survivors include his widow and a daughter.
Tyrus A. Norwood, 42, died in Miami, where he was associated with the firm of Loftin Anderson Scott McCarthy and Preston. He was a native of Columbia, S. C., a graduate of Stetson University of DeLand. He had practiced in Miami since he resigned as assistant state attorney general in 1940. Survivors include his widow and two children.
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