From left to right: Hill, Loftin, Holland

Assuming Gov. Charlie Crist picks a Republican to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, he or she would be the first member of the GOP appointed to the U.S. Senate in Florida history.

Of the 184 Americans appointed to the U.S. Senate since 1913 — when the 17th Amendment was ratified to allow governors fill vacancies — just three, all Democrats, have been from Florida:

Spessard Holland, 1946: Florida’s World War II governor who was active in establishing the Everglades National Park, had been out of office for a year when he was selected to fill a vacancy left by the death of U.S. Sen. Charlies Andrews. Holland was subsequently re-elected to four six-year terms before relinquishing the office in 1971.

Scott Loftin, May 1936: The former Florida House lawmaker was one of two U.S. Senate appointments for then-Gov. Dave Sholtz, a governor who, ironically, was defeated in his own U.S. Senate bid two years later. Loftin, general counsel for the Florida East Coast Railway at the time, was picked after the death of U.S. Sen. Park Trammell and was not a candidate in the special election held six months later.

William Hill, July 1936: Appointed after the death of his boss, U.S. Sen. Duncan Fletcher. Hill was Fletcher’s secretary after clerking for two U.S. Senate committees. He was not a candidate in the same special election held to fill Trammell’s term.

Source: U.S. Senate, Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, The Florida Handbook

Tags: Florida history

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