Fuller Warren is among the most controversial and colorful figures in the political history of the Sunshine State. On this week’s Florida History Podcast, we discuss Warren’s political rise, his Governorship and his ties to both the Ku Klux Klan organized crime interests. As Governor, Warren turned on the Klan but his ties to organized crime and out-of-state monied interests ended up being his undoing.

Warren became Governor besting Dan McCarty in the 1948 Democratic runoff 52%-48% (Winning the Democratic nomination in 1940’s Florida was tantamount to election) and surviving multiple attempts to remove him from office. Warren was a champion of rural interests and populism, though his elected experience prior to becoming Governor had been entirely in Jacksonville City government.

Warren’s populism did allow him to push for reforestation and take a more moderate position than other North Floridians on the building of the Turnpike. The legacy of Warren is that of a colorful and controversial character who did nonetheless effectively begin the transition of Florida from backwater to modern state.

You can listen to the Florida History Podcast on Anchor (which hosts our show), Spotify, Google, Apple Podcasts, Radio Public, Breaker, Overcast, Castro or Pocket Casts. Overcast, Castro, Spotify, Radio Public and Breaker have App Store apps for free which enable you to subscribe and listen on your iPhone if you do not use the Apple Podcast app. We release a new episode weekly.

All the episodes can be found here