Sidney J. Catts

Sidney Johnston Catts (July 31, 1863—March 9, 1936) was an American politician. He was the twenty-second governor of Florida and with Congressman Charles Randall of California one of only two members of the Prohibition Party to ever hold office. Catts was born in Pleasant Hill, Alabama and he earned a law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Cumberland University in 1882. Catts became a pastor in Alabama and soon he moved to Florida. Catts the... more

Sidney Johnston Catts (July 31, 1863—March 9, 1936) was an American politician. He was the twenty-second governor of Florida and with Congressman Charles Randall of California one of only two members of the Prohibition Party to ever hold office. Catts was born in Pleasant Hill, Alabama and he earned a law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Cumberland University in 1882. Catts became a pastor in Alabama and soon he moved to Florida. Catts then left his job as a pastor to sell insurance. In 1916, he ran for Governor of Florida as a Democrat. He won the nomination at first, but a recount was ordered and he came in second. After that, he received the nomination of the Prohibition Party. Catts called for reform but also espoused anti-Catholicism and racism. He publicly labeled black residents as part of "an inferior race," and refused to criticize two lynchings in 1919. When the NAACP complained about these lynchings, Catts wrote denouncing the organization and blacks generally,... less