from staff
A search of the archives at the Financial News & Daily Record revealed some history about Judge William Lee Durden Jr.
From addressing the City Council Charter Revision Commission, Nov. 25, 2009.
Durden talked about the complexities of moving from multiple forms of government to a consolidated government, literally overnight. He said at the time there were 69 offices, budgets, boards and commissions in some form that comprised the City of Jacksonville and its suburbs.
“The job of consolidation was to take all of those and combine them into a consolidated government. It was an awesome task,” said Durden. “There was nobody to guide me and nobody to report to, either.”
Durden said the new charter had to be adopted by the state Legislature and he credited Jim Rinaman, who succeeded him as general counsel, for helping him in the early days.
Durden said all 69 entities had their own lawyer and each spent a lot of time suing one another.
“We were just having a grand old time with legal fees,” he said.
Some of the issues Durden had to deal with included unaccredited schools, 168,000 parcels of land that had to be reassessed and the fact he was a presiding judge at the time of consolidation.
From his portrait unveiling ceremony at the Duval County Courthouse, Sept. 25, 2008.
“It’s difficult to put into words how proud I’ve been to be a member of (the Fourth Judicial) Circuit,” said Durden. “It is known as the best circuit in Florida. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without (his wife) Agnes Rosemary.”
From a meeting of The Jacksonville Bar Association’s Vintage Lawyers Dec. 21, 2006.
Retired Judge William Durden walked into the back room of the Piccadilly Cafeteria near the Regency Square mall and, at nearly 90 years old, was greeted by Homer Humphries with “Hello, young man.”
A sign on the wall – “River City Republicans” — caught Durden’s eye.
“I’m in the wrong place,” said Durden. “I’m a Franklin Roosevelt Democrat. To hell with that.”
Judge William Lee Durden Jr. passed away March 12, 2011. He was born July 30, 1921, in Brunswick, Ga., son of the late William Lee Durden Sr. and Jessie Marie Hembrock Durden. His family moved to the Springfield area of Jacksonville when he was 5 years old. He attended public schools and graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in 1939.
His first job after graduation was as an office assistant at Fleming, Hamilton, Diver, Jones and Scott. He graduated, valedictorian, from Jacksonville Junior College (now Jacksonville University) and served in the U.S. Navy from 1942-1944. He married Agnes Rosemary Herrmann on Jan. 5, 1944. He graduated from the University of Florida Law School with honors in 1947.
While in law school he served as chair of the Gator Party, treasurer of the student body for two years, president of the senior law class, president of the John Marshall Student Bar Association and was a member of Florida Blue Key. He also worked at Clayton, Arnow & Johnson.
He then returned to Jacksonville and went back to work, now as an attorney, at the Fleming firm.
In 1953 he became a founding partner at Durden, Whitehead, Hadlow and Adams, later Durden and Adams. During that time he was also a part-time commissioner of the Duval County Industrial Commission and in 1954 was appointed judge of Florida’s Industrial Court of Claims.
In 1957 he was chosen senior legal assistant to Gov. LeRoy Collins and from 1958-61, he served as executive assistant (now titled lieutenant governor) to Collins.
Judge Durden presided locally as a circuit judge from 1961-69. He served as the first general counsel for the consolidated City of Jacksonville in 1968 and 1969 and authored 264 of the 379 legal opinions interpreting the new charter of the consolidated government and which form the basis of the current City government.
In 1970 he returned to private practice with the law firm of Kent, Durden and Kent. Its clients included Ed Ball, the duPont Testamentary Trust, Florida East Coast Railroad, St. Joe Paper Co. and Florida National Bank. In 1986 he became general counsel for Florida National Bank, where he served until it merged with Wachovia Bank. He then returned to private practice, where he worked until May 2010.