Escambia County FlArchives Biographies.....Mayes, Frank L. 1873 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 11, 2008, 9:42 pm Author: B. F. Johnson (1909) Frank L. Mayes Frank L. Mayes, of Pensacola, Fla., editor of The Pensacola Journal, and one of the most prominent and progressive citizens of Florida, was born in Rockford, Ill., December 16, 1873, son of James O. and Jennie T. (Johnston) Mayes. His father was a farmer and Frank's boyhood was spent upon the farm in Illinois, Iowa and South Dakota. When he was thirteen years of age his father died, leaving a widow and five children-he being the oldest-without means of support other than what their South Dakota ranch yielded. He now had to face difficulties, and the next few years were spent in helping his mother run the farm. He attended the country school during the winter. Biography was his favorite reading matter, and he found profitable a study of the lives of Moses, Julius Csesar, Napoleon, and the men who made English and American history and literature. A succession of years of drouth and crop failures decided him against making agriculture his life-work. Having been born with a bent for both books and business, as well as an indomitable perseverance and grit, he determined to go to school, and he entered Dakota University at Mitchell, where he studied for three years, earning his livlihood at the same time. He then taught school for two years, and in 1896 he became a reporter on The Pensacola Times. He stayed with the Times eighteen months and then sought the cold of Dakota again, becoming part owner of the Mitchell (South Dakota) Gazette. In 1899 he returned to Pensacola, and later became controlling owner of The Pensacola Journal. Mr. Mayes is President of The Journal Company, of the Mayes Printing Company, and of the Perdido Land Company. He is also controlling owner of The Meridian (Mississippi) Dispatch. He was President of the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce for the year 1906. He served two years in the South Dakota National Guard. Socially, he is a member of the Osceola Club, of the con-cordia Club, the Knights of Pythias, and the Knights of the Maccabees. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church and of the Y. M. C. A. Politically, he is a Democrat and in 1908 he was elected as a Bryan Delegate from Florida's Third Congressional District to the Democratic National Convention at Denver. He was chosen by the Florida delegation to serve on the Resolutions Committee which wrote the National Democratic platform for that year, and as proxy for Florida's National Committeeman he helped organize the National Democratic Committee which met at Mr. Bryan's home after the convention adjourned. He was elected President of the Bryan and Kern Club at Pensacola and did effective work in raising a campaign fund for the National Committee in the campaign of 1908. On December 25, 1899, Mr. Mayes was married to Miss Lois Kingsbery of Hartford, S. Dak. They have three children, Howard Lee, Charles Albert and Margarita Mayes. Mr. Mayes believes hard work is the mainspring of success in life, other things being equal. Of important questions for consideration in Florida, he thinks that good roads and more people to cultivate the State's resources, are paramount. Additional Comments: Extracted from: FLORIDA EDITION MAKERS OF AMERICA AN HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY AN ABLE CORPS OF WRITERS VOL. III. Published under the patronage of The Florida Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida ADVISORY BOARD: HON. W. D. BLOXHAM COL. FRANK HARRIS HON. R. W. DAVIS SEN. H. H. McCREARY HON. F. P. FLEMING W. F. STOVALL C. A. CHOATE, SECRETARY 1909 A. B. CALDWELL ATLANTA, GA. COPYRIGHT 1909 B. F. JOHNSON Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/escambia/photos/bios/mayes73gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/fl/escambia/bios/mayes73gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/flfiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb