Willard W. Burgess Collection, 1926-1947
Collection context
Summary
- Extent:
- 1 Box (irregular size)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
Willard W. Burgess Collection, Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.
Background
- Scope and content:
The Willard W. Burgess Collection contains a scrapbook of newspaper clippings documenting Burgess' career, the financial difficulties surrounding the Floranada development, and the damage from the 1926 hurricane. Later clippings detail the progression of the Frank Keaton trial. It also contains correspondence and sympathy cards from Burgess' death in 1947.
- Biographical / historical:
Willard W. Burgess was a member of the Fort Lauderdale Bank and Trust Company, serving as its vice president in the 1920s and was a vocal advocate for aid to Florida in the wake of the 1926 hurricane. His wife Lucille was a member of the Woman's Club, the Garden Club, and a member of the NPEO. Willard was a member of the Apollo Club, the Rotary Club, the American Legion, and was active in the Chamber of Commerce.
In 1929 he and his wife moved to Los Angeles, California where he began serving as the Deputy District Attorney. He served as the lead prosecutor on the widely publicized trial against Frank D. Keaton, who murdered Motley H. Flint. He died of a heart attack in 1947.
- Acquisition information:
- Rita and John Phillips donated the collection to the Broward County Historical Commission in 2006 (Accession BCHA-2006.19).
- Processing information:
This collection received container level processing. This finding aid may be updated to reflect new descriptions as well as acquisitions to the collection.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- Hurricane damage
Banks and banking
Access and use
- Restrictions:
The Willard W. Burgess Collection is open for research.
- Preferred citation:
Willard W. Burgess Collection, Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library.
- Location of this collection:
-
Broward County Historical Archives, Broward County Library100 S. Andrews AvenueFort LauderdaleFL33301USA
