Charley Eugene Johns

Johns was born in Starke, Florida, on February 27, 1905. He attended the University of Florida briefly, and then worked for ten years as a railroad brakeman and conductor. He set up an insurance agency that would operate for 40 years, occasionally profiting from selling policies to state agencies. Johns became the President of the Senate in April 1953. Upon the death of Governor Dan McCarty on September 28, 1953, Johns became the Acting Governor As Acting Governor, Johns promoted highway construction and the elimination of tolls on the Overseas Highway between Miami and Key West. He served in the Senate until 1966. Throughout his Senate career he promoted prison reform. Johns died in a Gainesville hospital on January 23, 1990, after a long illness. ==Notes==