George P. Raney
Encyclopedia
George Pettus Raney was a Florida
lawyer
and a Democratic
politician who served on the Florida Supreme Court
from 1885 to 1894. He served as the first Florida native Chief Justice from 1889 to 1894. He was born October 11, 1845. He fought for the South
in the Civil War
. He served in the Florida Legislature
and served two terms as Florida Attorney General
from 1877 to 1885. He was one of the founders of the Florida Historical Society
. He died January 8, 1911.
Raney was born in Apalachicola, Florida
on October 11, 1845. He was the son of David Greenway and Harriet Frances (Jordan) Raney. Raney was tutored as a child. He left the University of Virginia
to become serve in the Confederate States Army
, and worked his way up through the ranks to Serjeant Major. After the war ended, he returned to school. He passed the Bar
in 1867 and opened a legal practice in Apalachicola.
On November 4, 1873, he married Mary Elizabeth Lamar, the niece of United States Supreme Court Justice Lucius Q. C. Lamar
.
The following year, the voters of Franklin County
elected him to the House of Representatives
, where he served on the judiciary committee. He was a leader in the Legislature during the efforts to impeach Republican
governor Harrison Reed. In 1869, he moved his home to Tallahassee
and opened a law practice with Anderson J. Peeler. Around 1873, he on the Leon County
Commission
.
Raney served on the Democratic Executive Committee in 1876, a time the democratic Party was seeking to regain control of Florida from the Republican Party and reverse the effects of Reconstruction. He was inatrumental in the legal maneuvering behind George F. Drew's successful effort to become Governor and the discommodation of the Republican Party. Governor Drew rewarded his efforts by appointing him State Attorney General.
As Florida Attorney General
, he was the counsel for the State's internal improve ment fund. The fund was embroiled in lawsuits concerning land grants to the railroads and canal builders, defaulted bonds, and failed ventures. The State of Florida was bankrupt. Raney was one of the state's negotiators involved in the 1881 sale of 4000000 acres (16,187.4 km²) of public land to real estate magnate Hamilton Disston to relieve the debt. Raney left office when William D. Bloxham
became governor.
On January 13, 1885 Governor Edward A. Perry
named Raney to replace Justice James Diament Westcott, Jr.. In 1888, he was elected with Augustus E. Maxwell and Henry L. Mitchell
in November.
They were the first justices elected by the people under the Constitution of 1885, and he was chosen by lot to serve as Chief Justice. His salary was $3,000 a year. Raney wrote over three hundred opinions. He did not believe judges must consider social change and popular opinion when interpreting the constitution. He had a reputation for thoroughness and citing the court decisions behind his opinions. He resigned from the Bench on May 31, 1894 and returned to private practice. He was succeeded as Chief Justice by Benjamin S. Liddon. In 1899, he returned to the State House representing Leon County.
In private practice, he became a powerful champion of the railroads, representing their interests before the state railroad commission. In 1903 he served as division counsel of the Seaboard Air Line
. He had been elected to the Florida Senate by Leon County voters in 1902, and his membership in the Florida Senate
while representing the SAL was controversial as possible a conflict of interest
. He never-the-less retained both positions. He negotiated an agreement between SAL and the railroad commission in which the railroad improved passenger service in the Tallahassee area.
Raney's first wife had died at the end nineteenth century, and he married Evelyn Bird Cameron on November 13, 1901, the sister of Virginia
governor William E. Cameron. His health deteriorated after her death in a fire the following year. On January 8, 1911, he died of pneumonia
. His home in Franklin County is a Registered Historic Place
.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician who served on the Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
from 1885 to 1894. He served as the first Florida native Chief Justice from 1889 to 1894. He was born October 11, 1845. He fought for the South
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He served in the Florida Legislature
Florida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
and served two terms as Florida Attorney General
Florida Attorney General
The Florida Attorney General is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state....
from 1877 to 1885. He was one of the founders of the Florida Historical Society
Florida Historical Society
The Florida Historical Society is an organization that promotes the study of the history of Florida within the context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1856, the Society collects, preserves and publishes materials relating to the history of Florida and its denizens.-External links:*...
. He died January 8, 1911.
Raney was born in Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...
on October 11, 1845. He was the son of David Greenway and Harriet Frances (Jordan) Raney. Raney was tutored as a child. He left the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
to become serve in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
, and worked his way up through the ranks to Serjeant Major. After the war ended, he returned to school. He passed the Bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1867 and opened a legal practice in Apalachicola.
On November 4, 1873, he married Mary Elizabeth Lamar, the niece of United States Supreme Court Justice Lucius Q. C. Lamar
Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (II)
Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar was an American politician and jurist from Mississippi. A United States Representative and Senator, he also served as United States Secretary of the Interior in the first administration of President Grover Cleveland, as well as an Associate Justice of the U.S...
.
The following year, the voters of Franklin County
Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177...
elected him to the House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
, where he served on the judiciary committee. He was a leader in the Legislature during the efforts to impeach Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
governor Harrison Reed. In 1869, he moved his home to Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
and opened a law practice with Anderson J. Peeler. Around 1873, he on the Leon County
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
Commission
County commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...
.
Raney served on the Democratic Executive Committee in 1876, a time the democratic Party was seeking to regain control of Florida from the Republican Party and reverse the effects of Reconstruction. He was inatrumental in the legal maneuvering behind George F. Drew's successful effort to become Governor and the discommodation of the Republican Party. Governor Drew rewarded his efforts by appointing him State Attorney General.
As Florida Attorney General
Florida Attorney General
The Florida Attorney General is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state....
, he was the counsel for the State's internal improve ment fund. The fund was embroiled in lawsuits concerning land grants to the railroads and canal builders, defaulted bonds, and failed ventures. The State of Florida was bankrupt. Raney was one of the state's negotiators involved in the 1881 sale of 4000000 acres (16,187.4 km²) of public land to real estate magnate Hamilton Disston to relieve the debt. Raney left office when William D. Bloxham
William D. Bloxham
William Dunnington Bloxham was an American politician. He served as the 13th and 17th Governor of Florida in two non-consecutive terms. Prior to his first term as governor, he served in the Florida House of Representatives....
became governor.
On January 13, 1885 Governor Edward A. Perry
Edward A. Perry
Edward Aylesworth Perry was a general under Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War and the 14th Governor of Florida.-Early life:He was a descendant of Arthur Perry, one of the earliest settlers of New England...
named Raney to replace Justice James Diament Westcott, Jr.. In 1888, he was elected with Augustus E. Maxwell and Henry L. Mitchell
Henry L. Mitchell
Henry Laurens Mitchell was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. He served as the 16th Governor of Florida ....
in November.
They were the first justices elected by the people under the Constitution of 1885, and he was chosen by lot to serve as Chief Justice. His salary was $3,000 a year. Raney wrote over three hundred opinions. He did not believe judges must consider social change and popular opinion when interpreting the constitution. He had a reputation for thoroughness and citing the court decisions behind his opinions. He resigned from the Bench on May 31, 1894 and returned to private practice. He was succeeded as Chief Justice by Benjamin S. Liddon. In 1899, he returned to the State House representing Leon County.
In private practice, he became a powerful champion of the railroads, representing their interests before the state railroad commission. In 1903 he served as division counsel of the Seaboard Air Line
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
. He had been elected to the Florida Senate by Leon County voters in 1902, and his membership in the Florida Senate
Florida Senate
The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Senate is composed of 40 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 470,032....
while representing the SAL was controversial as possible a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
. He never-the-less retained both positions. He negotiated an agreement between SAL and the railroad commission in which the railroad improved passenger service in the Tallahassee area.
Raney's first wife had died at the end nineteenth century, and he married Evelyn Bird Cameron on November 13, 1901, the sister of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
governor William E. Cameron. His health deteriorated after her death in a fire the following year. On January 8, 1911, he died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
. His home in Franklin County is a Registered Historic Place
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.