James C. Clark

Presidents in Florida: How the Presidents Have Shaped Florida and How Florida Has Influenced the Presidents

U.S. Presidents have played a major role in shaping Florida, whether waging wars, protecting the environment, seeking votes, or just drawing media attention to the state's attractions. Andrew Jackson came to fight Indians when La Florida was still a Spanish colony and then became the first territorial governor. Abraham Lincoln came up with the plan to get Florida back into the Union in 1864 to help his reelection chances. Ulysses S. Grant came to promote steamships on the St. Johns River. Regular visitors have included Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, and John F. Kennedy. Harry Truman had a house in Key West called the Little White House. Warren G. Harding played golf with an elephant as a caddie, and Chester Arthur went fishing in Orlando.

Selected Works

A History Lover's Guide to Florida

Florida is a state of transplants. Even people who relocated here decades ago still claim their birthplace as their home. They might change their mind if they knew that the Sunshine State owns one of the richest histories in the nation. Decades before the Pilgrims, the Spanish celebrated Thanksgiving in Florida. Centuries before the first St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York, the holiday was celebrated in St. Augustine, where urban renewal was underway when Jamestown settlers arrived. Author James Clark offers a lifetime of places to explore and thousands of facts to fascinate, tracing the state's long history from Pensacola to the Florida Keys.

A Concise History of Florida

In 1513, Spanish explorer Ponce de León first set foot on Florida's east coast. The land he discovered was a geographic anomaly so distinctive that astronaut Neil Armstrong said Florida was the first shape on earth he recognized on his return from a visit to the moon 456 years later. This unique state witnessed momentous events from the 1959 arrival of the first Cuban exiles under Fidel Castro to the 1981 launch of the Columbia, the first space shuttle. Join author and historian James C. Clark as he chronicles the history of the Sunshine State in this concise and captivating history.

The Pineapple Anthology of Florida Writers, Vol 2

This is the second in a series of fiction and nonfiction by legendary writers who wrote in Florida, or about Florida. This volume covers five centuries of Florida writers from Cabeza de Vaca in the 1500s to James Patterson in 2014. Each selection is accompanied by an essay by Clark explaining the writer's place in Florida literature.

The Pineapple Anthology of Florida Writers, Vol. 1

This is the first in a series of collections of fiction and nonfiction about Florida by legendary writers who came here—some to escape the chilly North, some to find freedom, and some to investigate what the fuss was all about.

Orlando, Florida: A Brief History

Most Americans only think of theme parks when they think of Orlando. But the city has a rich history as a cattle center--complete with rustlers--the nation's citrus center, and finally the top tourist destination in the United States.

Presidents in Florida: How the Presidents Have Shaped Florida and How Florida Has Influenced the Presidents

U.S. Presidents have played a major role in shaping Florida, whether waging wars, protecting the environment, seeking votes, or just drawing media attention to the state's attractions.

Last Train South: The Flight of the Confederate Government from Richmond

The dramatic story of the Confederate government’s escape from Richmond at the end of the war.

Red Pepper and Gorgeous George

The campaign that changed everything in Florida.

200 Quick Looks at Florida History

Learn 200 quick, painless history lessons in one thoroughly researched book. An indispensable guide for Florida students, newcomers, and old-timers alike.

Faded Glory: Presidents Out of Power

The stories of the men who rose to the nation’s highest office, then gave up that power to return to lives which were often difficult.

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