Pearl Long Cullen
Pearl Long Cullen (July 3, 1890 - November 6, 1979) was the first woman to hold a constitutional office in the state of Florida. Pearl Long Cullen also was the first to be elected to a constitutional office in the state of Florida. In 1923, upon the death of her father, the elected tax collector, Pearl Long Cullen was appointed by the governor to serve out her father's term. In 1925, Boyce Williams won the election as tax collector. Pearl Long Cullen continued to work in the tax office and in 1941 was once again appointed by the governor as tax collector of Lake County, Florida. In 1944, Pearl Long Cullen successfully sought the office and served consecutive terms as tax collector until her retirment in 1959. No other woman prior to Pearl Long Cullen's appointment in 1923, or until her win in 1941, had held a constitutional office in Florida.
Pearl Long Cullen attended Florida State College for Women, now known as Florida State University. She graduated in 1911, one year after Essie Long Duncan, her sister, graduated in 1910. Both were members of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. Pearl Long Cullen and Essie Long Duncan are memorialized on the campus of Florida State University by a Commemorative Stone Bench constructed by the Florida State University Master Craftsman's Studio. The inscription on the plague reads: "In Celebration of Alpha Delta Pi 150 Years, May 15, 2001, Dedicated to Iota Chapter and Placed in Memory of Pearle Long Cullen, Essie Long Duncan by Susan Miller Jones."
Pearl Long Cullen is a member of the Lake County Women's Hall of Fame.
Sources:
Exploring FSU's Past: A Public History Project, Fall 2006
Florida State University Master Craftsman Program
Florida State Univeristy Alpha Delta Pi Iota Chapter
[Lake County Government Historical Museum]
[Category: Historical People, Educators, Philanthropists]
Florio Stacy Unitas 02:19, 24 April 2007 (UTC)