Duncan U. Fletcher Hall

Honoree

Duncan Upshaw Fletcher

Duncan Upshaw Fletcher dedicated his life to public service. He studied law at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and was admitted to the bar in 1881. Duncan began practicing in Jacksonville, FL where he delved into municipal politics. He was elected to the city council in 1887, the Florida state legislature in 1893 and served two terms as Jacksonville’s mayor. From 1900 to 1907, Fletcher chaired the Board of Public Instruction of Duval County. In 1908, he served as President of the Gulf Coast Inland Waterways Association and later, the Mississippi to Atlantic Waterway Association.

In 1909, Fletcher was elected to the U.S. Senate and was re-elected for four consecutive terms. Senator Fletcher was involved with many Congressional committees, including the Committee on Printing and the Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard. Fletcher was also President of the Southern Commercial Congress from 1912 to 1918, delegate to the International High Commission at Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1916 and appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to the U.S. commission investigating European banking. In 1928, Senator Fletcher introduced legislation to create the Everglades National Park, which was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934.

Fletcher’s most active role was on the Committee of Banking and Currency, which was responsible for investigating the Wall Street banking and stock exchange practices that contributed to the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929. The investigation began the reform of American financial practices and resulted in the Banking Act of 1933. It also gave way to the Securities Act of 1933, the first major legislation to regulate the sale of securities, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which gave birth to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Fletcher spent more than 25 years serving the Senate until his death in 1936. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville, FL.

Facility History

Originally called North Dormitory, Fletcher Hall was completed in 1939. It was built during the Depression with the assistance of governmental programs such as the Works Progress Administration. The building was renamed in honor of U.S. Senator Duncan U. Fletcher. Renovated in 1984, Fletcher Hall continues to serve as a residence hall.

Fletcher Hall was designed by architect Rudolph Weaver in the Collegiate Gothic style following the tradition established by his predecessor William Edwards. Fletcher Hall is among the buildings that compose the University of Florida Campus Historic District, a historic area added to the National Register in 1989.

This dormitory linked Sledd Hall to Thomas Hall to form the initials "UF" which can be seen in aerial views. It features oriole windows, carved figures in each facade and various styled doorways.