Charles Oscar Andrews

United States Senator. Born in the rural settlement of Ponce de Leon, Florida, Charles Oscar Andrews was the seventh child of ten of John and Mary Yon Andrews. Coming from a true Florida Pioneer family, his grandfather Thomas Andrews had migrated in 1841 from Georgia to Holmes County in the Territory of Florida. Andrews graduated from the South Florida Military Institute at Bartow, Florida and then Florida State Normal School at Gainesville in 1901. After teaching in public schools for a several years, he graduated from the University of Florida at Gainesville in 1907. He became a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. In the same year, he was admitted to the Florida Bar and began his successful law practice first in De Funiak Springs then in later years in Orlando. He was known for being a solid supporter of law enforcement. Like his father, Andrews started in local politics on the Democratic ticket by serving two years in the comptroller's office in Tallahassee in 1909, and it was there where he met and married Margaret Lee Spears on November 24th of that same year. Five children were born to this union: Charles Oscar, Jr., John (died age 8), Thomas and Edgar and a little daughter who lived one month. His military service was during the Spanish-American War as an 21-year-old captain in the Florida National Guard serving in Company M, First Florida Regiment; his unit was not called to leave the country. He was also a captain in the Florida National Guard 1903-1905. While serving the State of Florida, he registered for World War I with his card describing him as a married man that was tall, blue-eyed, with brown hair. Although his parents were Missionary Baptist, he was connection was with the Presbyterian Church, along with being a Rotarian and a Mason. He political career included being Secretary of the Florida State Senate 1905-1907 and 1909-1911; judge of the criminal court of record of Walton County, Fla. 1910-1911, appointed by Park Trammell to assistant attorney general of Florida 1912-1919; circuit judge of the seventeenth judicial circuit 1919-1925; general counsel of the Florida Real Estate Commission 1925-1928; member of the State House of Representatives in 1927; and State Supreme Court Commissioner 1929-1932. In 1921 he was elected president of the Florida State Bar Association. He was elected on November 3, 1936, as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his colleague Park Trammell and then was reelected in 1940. While in the Senate, he served as Chairman on Enrolled Bills Committee (Seventy-ninth Congress), Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds (Seventy-ninth Congress), and the Special Committee on Reconstruction of the Senate Roof and Skylight. Andrews missed 291 of 1,052 roll call votes, which is 27.7%. Dedicated to public service, he died in Washington D. C. while still in office. With his widow, his son Charles O. Andrew, Jr., and grandson Charles O. Andrews, III present at the ceremony, United States President Harry Truman dedicated the Charles O. Andrew Bridge on March 8, 1949 in Orlando, Florida.

Bio by: Linda Davis