May Mann Jennings - Brooksville, FL
N 28° 33.495 W 082° 23.111
17R E 364506 N 3159828
May Mann Jennings' Great Floridian blue plaque is located on the historic William Sherman Jennings House in Brooksville, Florida, USA. Her husband's blue plaque is also located on the house.
Waymark Code: WMB3W5
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 04/01/2011
Views: 5
"May Austin Elizabeth Mann Jennings (1872–April 25, 1963) was the First Lady of Florida as wife of Florida Governor William Sherman Jennings. She was one of Florida's most powerful and influential women.
Jennings was an organizer of the Duval County Federation of Women's clubs and was president of the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs. She used that network of motivated women to fight for issues including environmental conservation, child welfare, Women's suffrage, the State Library of Florida in Tallahassee, reservations for the Seminoles, the establishment of compulsory education, stock fence laws, and state parks. Club women across the state worked in campaign drives, lobbied legislators and appealed to other organizations for assistance.
After she was widowed in 1920, she was co-founder of the Florida chapter of the League of Women Voters. She campaigned and spoke for prohibition, better treatment of children and prisoners, education reforms and funding, improvements in public welfare, historic preservation and highway beautification.
She was known as the "Mother of Florida Forestry" for her part in promoting and securing the legislative act that created the Florida State Board of Forestry, known today as the Division of Forestry. According to Ruthanne Vogel of the University of Miami, "She was...instrumental in the development of Royal Palm State Park near Homestead," later donated to the National Park Service and incorporated into Everglades National Park.
May Mann Jennings was designated a Great Floridian by the Florida Department of State in the Great Floridians 2000 Program. A plaque attesting to the honor is located at the Jennings House in Brooksville. In 2008, she was also honored as a Great Floridian in the revived program."
-- Source