Clarence Abram Roberts (November 5, 1903 – December 21, 1973), known as C. A. Roberts, was a

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

state legislator. He served in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

on multiple occasions for Union County. He was also a noted

pecan The pecan ( , , ; ''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the Southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed primarily in the U.S. states of Georgia ( ...

farmer, cattle rancher, timberland owner and naval stores operator. He was a lifelong resident of Lake Butler, Florida.

Biography

Roberts was born to Charles Abram Roberts and Lucretia M. Nettle. He was educated in county public schools and worked as a prison manager and a livestock inspector in the 1920s. Union County, where Roberts resided, became the 61st county of Florida by a legislative act on May 20, 1921. Roberts was one of six delegates elected to attend the convention at which the first county officers were nominated. Roberts was named to the first Board of Union County Commissioners for District 1 in 1921. From 1934 to 1938, Roberts served on the Lake Butler City Council. He again served on the Board of County Commissioners, and was chair from 1940 to 1948. In 1950 he ran successfully on the Democratic Party ticket for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives, representing Union County. He served two sessions until 1952. He was elected again in 1956 and re-elected in 1960, serving until 1965.

Other activities

Roberts became president of the Imperial Ranch and Tung Corporation in 1952. He was appointed to Florida Forestry Board in 1952 by Governor

Fuller Warren Fuller Warren (October 3, 1905September 23, 1973) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th governor of Florida. Early life and education Born in Blountstown, Florida, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesvil ...

, serving until 1956, when he assumed the board presidency. He was also active in many community associations, including the Chamber of Commerce, Masons, Rotary Club, and American Turpentine Farmers Association Board.

Personal

He married Gertrude Ann Wynn in August 1928. They had two daughters and a son. After her death in 1961, he remarried to Marjorie Mizelle Lascola (d. 2010), who survived him. They had one son, named Avery. Roberts died at

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

in 1973 and was interred at Dekle Cemetery in Lake Butler alongside his first wife, Gertrude.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, C.A. Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Florida city council members County commissioners in Florida People from Lake Butler, Florida 1903 births 1973 deaths 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature