Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century ago? It may have been a different era of history, culture and politics but there are often parallels between the kind of stories that made headlines then and today. As interesting as the differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1960. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
Vice President Richard Nixon and U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy, the Republican and Democratic candidates for president in 1960 respectively, were in Jacksonville for rallies at Hemming Park on the same day.
In the afternoon, Nixon blasted his opponent as a “prophet of doom” and cited the American dream of freedom and independence and said the ideals of America had to be “held up in front of the world.”
Nixon also said the most important issue was the survival of the nation and the future of young people and of the world.
“We must have a strengthening of the will of 180 million Americans,” said Nixon, who added that the “prophets of gloom and doom were the ones who were saying, ‘turn everything over to the federal government and weaken the states.’“
When he arrived in Jacksonville, the vice president was met at Imeson Airport by J.F. Bryan III, a member of the National Finance Committee of Volunteers for Nixon and chair of the Floridians for Nixon-Lodge in Duval County.
That evening in the park, Kennedy criticized the Republican administration’s foreign policies and said Nixon “presided over the communization of Cuba.”
He told thousands of people who jammed the park that “America must not be satisfied to play second to Russia in any aspect” and charged that was what had happened under Republican rule.
Kennedy said the issues between him and Nixon were “clear-cut” and there were broad differences in their views. He said Nixon took the attitude that “we never had it so good.” But Kennedy said, “I run on a slogan that we can do better.”
Kennedy was met at the airport by U.S. Sen. Charles E. Bennett, who described Kennedy as “a man of national and international stature who finds the time to help other congressmen in their problems.”
“He’s never refused to help me in any way he could and he has the foresight and the courage to do the things needed for America,” said Bennett.
Kennedy also was welcomed to Jacksonville by Mayor Haydon Burns and City Commissioner Louis H. Ritter, who was Kennedy’s campaign chair for Duval County.
• The new 17-story Atlantic Coast Line Building Downtown was formally dedicated. ACL President W. Thomas Rice, assisted by Miss Florida of 1960 Cathy Magda, pulled a wide, orange ribbon that simultaneously raised an American flag on the roof of the building, blew the whistle of Locomotive 1504, which was displayed on the grounds, and unveiled a plaque in the building’s lobby. To cap the ceremony, a fireboat on the St. Johns River signaled approval with whistles blowing and water flying.
In the first-floor lobby that was “ablaze with floral arrangements from well-wishers,” about 500 guests heard the Democratic nominee for governor, Farris Bryant, and Mayor Haydon Burns tell what the railroad’s headquarters moving to Jacksonville from Wilmington, N.C., would mean to the state and to the city.
“Jacksonville residents and Coast Liners will be able to point to this magnificent building with just pride for the next half-century or more,” said Burns.
Rice spoke at a luncheon in the building’s executive dining room the day before the dedication. “We see this building as a symbol of modern railroading in America,” Rice told representatives of Southern newspapers, radio and television stations. “We have tried to emphasize simplicity and dignity in furnishing and decorating this building and have employed every known technological improvement so that our people can work efficiently and comfortably.”
• Supervisor of Registration Fleming H. Bowden reported there were 159,997 people eligible to vote in the Nov. 8 general election in Duval County.
There were 148,716 Democrats, 10,130 Republicans and 1,151 independent voters. The total roll was the highest in the county’s history, surpassing the 144,284 on the rolls for the 1956 presidential election. It was noted that the total included 129,267 white voters and 30,739 African-American voters and that Duval County had the largest African-American voter registration of any county in the state.
• S. Morgan Slaughter, who was at the time a 15-year veteran as assistant chief clerk of the circuit court, was named acting clerk of the Duval County Circuit Court.
The appointment was made by Fourth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Edwin L. Jones in a brief ceremony required to fill the vacancy left by the death of Clerk Leonard W. Thomas. In appointing Slaughter, Jones said Thomas was “one of our most loved friends and one of the most outstanding officials of the state as well as Duval County.”
Slaughter would serve “ad interim” until Gov. LeRoy Collins named a successor to fill Thomas’ unexpired term, which was to end Jan. 3. Thomas was nominated without opposition as Democratic candidate for re-election to another four-year term. The County Democratic Executive Committee would have to place a new nominee on the Nov. 8 ballot. Slaughter said he would list his name as a candidate.
• The City Pardon Board released a prisoner who was serving a term for indecent exposure and whose previous criminal record included three convictions for driving while intoxicated.
The pardon was granted to the 26-year-old man on the condition that he submit to treatment by a psychiatrist. He was sentenced by Municipal Court Judge John Santora on Sept. 27 to serve 60 days on a charge of disorderly conduct, indecent exposure.
Board chair Ralph N. Walter declared that the prisoner, on the basis of his record, was not entitled to consideration but the release was being granted for the sake of the prisoner’s father, who was a City employee.
• City Commissioner Dallas Thomas received the Good Government Award from the Jacksonville Junior Chamber of Commerce at the organization’s annual banquet at the Roosevelt Hotel.
The award was presented to Thomas by Louis H. Ritter, also a City commissioner and the recipient of the 1959 award.
Thomas had been a City commissioner since 1955 and supervised the City’s parks, zoo, prison farm and finances. Before becoming a public official, he founded and operated a large chain of hardware and appliance stores, which he had sold.