Napoleon B. Broward - Post Governorship

Post Governorship

In February 1909, Senator Bryan got sick with typhoid fever, shocking the state. Broward appointed William Hall Milton to the post. Milton pledged not to run for the seat in November, and Broward soon announced that he was a candidate. He was roundly criticized for this, but nonetheless took to the stump against his opponents, among them his old adversary John Beard and a former political ally, Jacksonville mayor Duncan U. Fletcher. Beard and Fletcher attacked Broward throughout the campaign, but Broward prevailed in the first primary, and entered the second primary campaign against Fletcher. Broward's friend John Stockton also advanced to the second primary in the governor's race with General Albert Gilchrist of Fort Myers. Fletcher was an old liberal, and though now more conservative than Broward, the two men still agreed on many things. Gilchrist, however, was much feared as a railroad man, and Broward worked as much for Stockton as he did for himself.

Despite all his work, Broward and Stockton both lost. Newspapers statewide loudly proclaimed the end of the Broward era, and the drainage project seemed doomed. But Broward was not through. The 1908 Democratic National Convention was to be held shortly in Denver, and Broward planned to attend. He had been mentioned for months in newspapers throughout the South as a potential candidate for the Vice Presidency, and he was nationally known through his drainage work and for his earlier filibustering. Upon his arrival in Denver he was greeted by banners reading' "Bryan, Broward, and Bread," and an editorial in the Denver Post spoke very favorably of him, concluding that he was an excellent choice for the position. But presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan telegraphed from his home that he wanted a Midwesterner, rather than a Southerner. Although the crowd at the convention continued to back Broward, Bryan was able to name his own candidate.

The 1908 election was not all bad for Broward. Fletcher was an old friend and still a mild progressive, and Gilchrist proved to be much more liberal than anyone had believed, becoming an avid supporter of drainage and greatly furthering the program.

In 1910 James Taliaferro's Senate seat was up for election. Big city newspapers endorsed Taliaferro for re-election, but Broward soon entered the race against him. The race, expected to be an exciting showdown, proved to be such a bore that election news was pushed off the front page by coverage of Halley's Comet. Broward and Taliaferro entered the second primary after a quiet election.

The second primary campaign proved scarcely more interesting, though Broward took to the stump, travelling throughout the state. After an exciting election eve rally at which Broward's supporters got so carried away that Taliaferro left in disgust, Broward pulled out a victory.

Exhausted by the campaign, Broward retired with his family to the beach at Fort George. Late in September Broward took ill with gallstones, which had been a concern for some months though Broward had been too busy for surgery. He languished in the hospital for a few days, and died just before he was to enter surgery. He was buried on October 4. The Florida Times-Union wrote,

Today there are thousands who, like the Times-Union, always opposed the big man so recently crowned with laurel and now clothed in a shroud, who see so clearly the qualities that all admired, that past differences refuse to intrude, and the opponent craves a place among the mourners.

Broward remains one of the very few Florida politicians to achieve any lasting national recognition, and was for many years after his death the one Florida politician whose name was still known by many in the state (Claude Pepper being one of the others). As recently as the 1950s, Floridians still referred to the Broward Era and to Browardism—remarkable staying power in a state that changed as much and as quickly as did Florida. The main aspect of his legacy was the draining of the Everglades- opponents have argued this damaged the Everglades more than helped, while pro-Broward, and pro-Floridan supporters have recognized the long-term agritarian effects his efforts had on the Florida citrus industry making it into the international powerhouse it is today. Broward remains a rather bright and fascinating star in Florida's admittedly questionable political constellation.