John Christian Luning
| J.C. Luning | |
|---|---|
 |
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| State Treasurer of Florida | |
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In office February 19, 1912 – September 26, 1928 |
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| Preceded by | William V. Knott |
| Succeeded by | J. Edwin Larson |
| 3rd Florida Commissioner of Agriculture | |
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In office February 5, 1912 – March 1, 1912 |
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| Preceded by | Benjamin E. McLin |
| Succeeded by | William Allen McRae |
| Lake County Commission | |
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In office ??? - February 1912 |
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| Mayor of the Town of Leesburg, Florida | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Christian Luning December 21, 1863 Albany, New York |
| Died | September 26, 1928 (aged 64) South Dakota |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Leesburg, Florida |
John Christian Luning (December 21, 1863 – September 28, 1928) was a mayor of the town of Leesburg, Florida, during the 1890s and Lake County Commissioner. He would go on to serve the shortest term as Florida's Commissioner of Agriculture for 14 days before going on to serve as State Treasurer of Florida. He was part of a group of Florida leaders known as the "Three Musketeers" – along with James B. Whitfield (a state treasurer and state attorney general before serving nearly 40 years on the Florida Supreme Court) and William V. Knott (who held various cabinet positions for nearly 40 continuous years before becoming a political appointee) – and had a bright political future before his sudden death in September 1928.
In an odd occurrence of events in early 1912, both Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Benjamin E. McLin and Florida Comptroller A.C. Croom died within a week or two of each other while separately campaigning in South Florida in February. Following the death of McLin, Governor Albert W. Gilchrist appointed Luning the Commissioner of Agriculture. When Croom died, Whitfield, Knott, and Luning went to see the Governor. It is reported that Luning intended to apply to be State Comptroller but Gilchrist wanted someone experienced in the position. Knott (who was serving as Treasurer at the time) ended up being appointed to the State Comptroller position. Luning was appointed to fill the state treasurer position Knott vacated on February 19, a mere 14 days after having been appointed as agriculture commissioner. Luning had to immediately gear up to defend his position in the 1912 election. Robert Andrew Gray – who would later serve 31 years as Florida Secretary of State and 31 years as on the Florida Board of Education – worked on Luning's campaign and recalled that Luning won a three-way primary by only 150 votes before going on to win the general election. He would continue to serve as state treasurer until his death in September 1928.
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