Rivers Henderson Buford (January 18, 1878 – March 17, 1959) was an American attorney and politician who served twice as the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

Buford lived in Pulaski until 1882, when his father moved the family to Wewahitchka, Florida, at the time in Calhoun County, in order to take a surveying position.

[2] In 1909, Florida Governor Albert W. Gilchrist appointed Buford as the prosecuting attorney for nearby Gadsden County, a position he served in until 1911 when he returned to Marianna.

[5] As a result of World War I cutting off vacation access to the French Rivera, Miami, Florida, was propped up as an alternative due to its similar Mediterranean climate.

This led to a land boom, in which numerous planned communities in South Florida, such as Coral Gables and Boca Raton, were created.

It was particularly difficult to enforce prohibition in South Florida due to rum runners operating out of nearby Cuba and The Bahamas.

Buford turned a blind eye to the lynchings and burnings that occurred during the Perry race riot and the Rosewood massacre.

[7] In 1925, Buford, with the aid of the United States Coast Guard, heavily restricted the ability for rum runners to safely operate in South Florida.

[10] Despite Buford's disastrous reputation in hindsight, at the time he remained a popular figure in Floridian political circles, culminating in his appointment to the Florida Supreme Court on December 4, 1925, by Governor John W.