Durell Peaden Jr. (August 24, 1945 – June 23, 2015) was a Republican member of the

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

, representing the 2nd District since November 5, 2002. He left office at the end of November 2, 2010 due to

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...

. Previously he was a member of 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 ...

's 5th district from November 8, 1994, through November 7, 2000. He switched from the Democratic party to the Republican party in June 1997. Peaden received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in chemistry from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

(1968), his

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in

Jalisco, Mexico Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

(1973), and his

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...

from the

Thomas Goode Jones School of Law The Thomas Goode Jones School of Law (FaulknerLaw, Jones Law, JLS, or JSL) is the law school of Faulkner University, located in Montgomery, Alabama. History Jones School of Law was founded in 1928 by Montgomery County Circuit Judge Walter B. ...

Faulkner University Faulkner University is a private Christian university in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. History The university was founded in 1942 by Rex Turner, Leonard Johnson and Joe Greer as "Montgomery B ...

(1987). His medical residency was at the University of Florida, and he practiced medicine from 1975 until his retirement in 1999. He and his first wife, Sharon Peaden, had three sons. He was married to Nancy Green until his death. Peaden was a sponsor of the 2005 Florida

stand-your-ground law A stand-your-ground law, sometimes called a "line in the sand" or "no duty to retreat" law, provides that people may use deadly force when they reasonably believe it to be necessary to defend against certain violent crimes (right of self-defense ...

, which was subject to scrutiny in the 2012

killing of Trayvon Martin On the evening of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, United States, George Zimmerman fatally shot Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, who was visiting his father while suspended from his Miami-area school. Zimmerman, a 28-yea ...

. He sponsored the bill that created a medical school at Florida State University. Peaden died after a heart attack suffered earlier in the month on June 23, 2015, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

References

External links

Florida State Legislature - Senator Durell Peaden, Jr.
official government website
Project Vote Smart - Senator Durell Peaden Jr. (FL)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Durell Peaden, Jr.
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campaign contributions 1945 births 2015 deaths Republican Party Florida state senators Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Tulane University alumni Thomas Goode Jones School of Law alumni People from DeFuniak Springs, Florida 21st-century members of the Florida Legislature 20th-century members of the Florida Legislature {{Florida-FLSenate-stub