About LeRoy Collins

LeRoy Collins Quote: "I don't have to be re-elected but I have to live with myself"

The LeRoy Collins Public Ethics Academy is privileged to bear the name of LeRoy Collins, one of Florida鈥檚 greatest governors who led from 1955 to 1960 and was the first leader of a Southern state to voice support for de-segregation and civil rights. The naming is a result of the $500,000 endowment from the former Collins Center for Public Policy in Miami. In addition to naming the Public Ethics Academy, which lives within the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters under the听School of Public Administration, the annual interest from the endowment corpus is used to fund student scholarships, awarded as a result of essay submissions that cover the life and leadership of Governor Collins.

鈥淚t was my grandfather鈥檚听steadfast听conviction with respect for others and a moral courage guided by the truth and by his conscience听that helped define his leadership,鈥 said听LeRoy Collins III, Governor Collins鈥檚 grandson and Collins Center board member.

鈥淗e once said, 鈥楪overnment cannot live by taxes alone, or by jobs alone, or even by roads alone鈥 Government must have qualities of the spirit. Without these qualities, there is no worthwhile leadership, and we grapple and grope in a moral wilderness.鈥 That is never more appropriate than today, and can only be accomplished by supporting, inspiring, and training our youth. 大象传媒 is a worthy partner for that endeavor, and I鈥檓 excited for all they will accomplish,鈥 Collins said.


Select Public Ethics Academy Fund


LeRoy-Collins-III-photo.jpg

Read the full speech written and delivered by LeRoy Collins III at the Academy鈥檚 August 22, 2018 dedication reception.


Governor Leroy

Governor Collins with his wife and daughters听(Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Learn more about the life and legacy of LeRoy Collins

Berman, Eliza. 鈥溾 Time. 25 Mar. 2015.

Brand, David. 鈥溾 Tallahassee Democrat. 28 Jan. 2018.

Fillmore San Francisco. 鈥淟eRoy Collins: Outfoxing the Racists.鈥 YouTube, 16 Mar. 2015, .

Florida Memory. 鈥淕overnor LeRoy Collins in Civil Rights (1980) 鈥 Full-length.鈥 YouTube, 30 May 2014, .

鈥溾 LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library. 19 June 2018 Accessed.

鈥溾 National Governors Association. 19 June 2018 Accessed.

Kathryn. 鈥溾 Florida Memory 鈥 State Library & Archives of Florida. 20 Mar. 2017

鈥溾 Wikipedia.org. 19 June 2018 Accessed.

鈥溾 The Grove Tallahassee. 19 June 2018 Accessed.

Menton, Jane Darby. 鈥溾 Tampa Bay Times. 10 Nov. 2016.

鈥.鈥 Florida Department of State. 19 June 2018 Accessed.

LC_doves.jpg

Governor Collins in Miami circa 1960 (Courtesy of )


interposition-resolution-880x400.jpg

Interposition Resolution in Response to Brown v. Board of Education, 1957 鈥 Full PDF version (Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida)