Historic Photograph from the 1968 Presidential Election Becomes 150,000th Image on the Florida Memory Project Web Site

TALLAHASSEE, FL – A photograph of Florida Governor Claude Kirk sitting with Florida delegates at the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami has become the 150,000th image added to the Florida Memory Project Web site. This image is particularly relevant in light of this year’s upcoming presidential election.

In the summer of 1968, the presidential campaign had become a symbolic event for the turmoil of American society. Racial riots, the Vietnam War, rebellious youth, and the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy transformed the hotly contested election into a cultural battleground. Widespread protests and riots had already marred that year’s Democratic National Convention. In the middle of all this activity, Florida emerged as a major player in national politics for the first time.

Miami began to draw national attention in the political arena during the 1968 campaign, when it was chosen as the site of the Republican National Convention. Florida’s Governor Kirk spent the majority of 1968 campaigning, for both himself and for competitors Richard Nixon and Nelson Rockefeller. Kirk was briefly a presidential candidate and was on most candidates’ shortlists for running mate as vice president.

However, by the time of the convention—which was attended by luminaries such as Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, and Hollywood actor John Wayne—Kirk’s outspokenness and his support of Rockefeller irked top contender Nixon, leading him to choose Spiro Agnew instead. Nonetheless, Kirk did speak at the convention on opening day. Forty years later, we are facing another presidential election and Florida continues to exert strong influence over the proceedings.

The Florida Photographic Collection was originated in 1952 by journalist and Clerk of the House Allen Morris at Florida State University. Morris discovered firsthand how difficult it was to secure historic Florida photographs. In 1982, the collection was transferred to the State Archives of Florida in the R.A. Gray Building, where it continues to expand in size and scope. Over 800 images a month are added to the Web site, while the physical collection of negatives, prints, and slides numbers nearly one million individual images.

Images of the convention and of the 1968 presidential campaign in Florida can be viewed on the Florida Memory Project Web site (http://www.floridamemory.com), which is the virtual public face of the Archives. The site features over 450,000 digitized sound recordings, documents, photographs, podcasts, and film clips from days gone by. Other collections on the site include the Florida Folklife Collection, Spanish Land Grants, Confederate Pensions, and Highlights from the Archives. This grant-funded project brings materials from the State Archives of Florida to users in their homes, offices, libraries, and schools.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY ON FLORIDA MEMORY
Florida Cigars: Artistry, Labor, and Politics in Florida’s Oldest Industry Commercial cigar rolling first came to Florida in the 1830s and in the decades after the Civil War it became one of the most important industries in the southeastern United States.		Troubadours From the 2003 Florida Folk Festival Florida Troubadours showcase, this podcast features Florida songwriters Jeanie Fitchen, Frank Thomas, Bobby Hicks and others.		Migrant Workers During the Great Depression in Florida These images were created by the Farm Security Administration in order to document the hardships of farm workers during the Great Depression.

The Florida Memory Project is funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State, State Library & Archives of Florida. Contact Us. Disclaimer. Florida’s history is your history. Help us preserve it by joining the Friends of the State Library & Archives of Florida.