He also served on the United States National Security Council as director of the Office of Emergency Planning during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who also appointed Bryant chair of the U.S.

Bryant was commissioned as an ensign and served as a gunnery officer on oil tankers and Liberty ships in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean in 1943.

[14][15] Bryant hoped to win based on his legislative experience, his advocacy of responsible and restrained government spending, and his support for revision of the Florida Constitution.

Governor Collins believed Florida had to follow federal law and accept the US Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education that ruled segregation in public education was inherently unequal and its subsequent decision (Brown II) that the states must move to implement integration in their public schools.

[17] Bryant said the question of integration must be approached '"with cool heads, clear minds, and a keen concern for the welfare of all Floridians, black and white.

"'[18] Sumter Lowry ran as a staunch defender of segregation and opposed any compromise with integration brought on by the Brown decision.

Lowry accused Collins and Bryant of being soft on segregation and unwilling to defend states' rights against federal intrusion.

[19] Early on in his campaign, Bryant stated that he did not believe Florida was ready for racial integration: '“In the homes of Negroes we find different intellectual levels, and moral and sanitary standards.

I feel that it would not be good for two groups with such different standards to be drawn into direct contact.”’[20] He hoped that by making his position clear on integration he could move on to campaign on the government reform and pro-growth agenda that he preferred to discuss.

However, Lowry's uncompromising segregationist platform won support among many Florida Democrats, and he soon became the main challenger to Collins, leaving Bryant and Warren behind.

Bryant made effective use of television, radio, and newspapers to call into question Carlton's support for segregation while at the same time extolling his own experience and expertise as a legislator and government leader, who proposed a reform agenda of constitutional revision, reapportionment, fiscal restraint, and modernization in education and transportation.

Alluding to how he would handle integration, Bryant insisted that his administration would not interfere in issues “best left in the hands of local officials,” and he would “oppose with vigor any efforts by the federal government to usurp the proper and lawful prerogatives of the state.”[26] Bryant believed the state had to invest in infrastructure to handle the needs of its ever-growing population and to encourage more tourism, which would mean more revenue through the sales tax.

Petersburg area across the state to Daytona Beach on the Atlantic; and the beginning of construction of the Everglades Parkway or “Alligator Alley” from Naples on the Gulf coast to Fort Lauderdale north of Miami.

[27] Since the territorial days, Florida governors had dreamed of building a canal across the state as a way of improving the economy, expanding settlement, and increasing revenue.

Proponents like Bryant believed that the canal would be a major inducement for investment in the state and a further way to meet the growth demands of Florida's burgeoning population.

However, it was not until December 1963, during the first month of the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, that federal money started to flow to the canal project.

In primary education, there was improvement in teacher certification, recruitment of instructors, promotion of vocational training, and the use of libraries and guidance services, among other initiatives.

As governor-elect in December 1960, he led a delegation to South America to encourage mutual investment and tourism between Florida and that continent.

Bryant, an avid pilot and flyer, flew around the state and country to meet with business and governmental leaders to talk about investing in Florida.

The governor increased the number of state parks and promoted historical sites such as San Marcos de Apalache south of Tallahassee.

[31] As evidence of Soviet military aid to Cuba grew, Governor Bryant called for the United States to do whatever was necessary to end the Castro regime.

Bryant remained a Cold warrior after the missile crisis, supporting the Johnson and Nixon policies in Vietnam and endorsing an aggressive stand against Communism wherever it was in power.

He led the effort in the Florida House of Representatives to successfully pass an interposition resolution in opposition to the Brown decision.

Governor Bryant ordered the Florida Highway Patrol to make sure that restaurants, rest stops, and bus terminals along the route did not refuse the riders service.

King arrived in the city to direct and support the demonstrators while a number out of state racists, including the notorious Georgia Klansman J.

The agency coordinated disaster relief, managed the nation’s civil defense efforts, and maintained reserves of emergency supplies.

Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, an agency designed to coordinate actions and resolve problems between federal, state, and local governments.

Bryant's years of political experience and his high name recognition made him the candidate to beat in the Florida Democratic primary.

To lose her was hell.”[55][56] After Julia died, Bryant entered a period of deep depression; however, he managed to find joy during his remaining years by spending time with his daughters, grandchildren, and practicing his Methodist faith.

Bryant, however, recognized that his support for segregation during his years in the Florida Legislature and as governor would forever be a part of his place in history.