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Shown during a Florida Supreme Court Historical Society oral history program ceremony to acknowledge and celebrate the career of ex-justice Joseph A. Boyd (served from January 7, 1969 to January 6, 1987).

L-R: Martha Barnett, Chesterfield Smith, Judge Mattie Belle Davis, Lynn Parks.

Biographical Note

Joseph A. Boyd was born on November 16, 1916 in Jackson County, Georgia, he moved to Florida in 1939. He fought in World War II as a U.S. Marine. Boyd then moved to Miami where he earned a law degree from the University of Miami while working as a hotel clerk. Following his 1948 graduation, he served as the Hialeah city attorney. From 1958 through 1968, Boyd served on the Dade County City Commission. Joseph A. Boyd, Jr. served as a Florida Supreme Court justice from January 7, 1969 through January 6, 1987, and was Chief Justice from 1984 through 1986. After retiring the court, Boyd worked as a private attorney with his son, Joe Boyd. He also wrote a series of children's books. He died on October 26, 2007 and was buried in MeadowWood Memorial Park in Tallahassee.

Mattie Belle Davis was born on February 28, 1910 in Ellabell, Georgia and moved with her family to Miami in July 1926. She was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1936, practiced law until she was appointed the first woman Judge to the Metropolitan Dade County Court in 1959 and served on the bench in the Circuit and County Court of Dade County until her retirement in 1996. Mattie Belle Davis passed away on July 3, 2003.