| E. Harris Drew | |
| Office: | Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court |
| Termstart: | July 1, 1963 |
| Termend: | July 1, 1965 |
| Prior Term: | May 6, 1955 – January 8, 1957 |
| Office2: | Justice of the Florida Supreme Court |
| Termstart2: | August 18, 1952 |
| Termend2: | January 5, 1971 |
| Appointer2: | Fuller Warren |
| Predecessor2: | Roy H. Chapman |
| Successor2: | Hal P. Dekle |
| Birth Date: | 28 October 1903 |
| Birth Place: | Fargo, Georgia, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
Edwin Harris Drew (October 28, 1903 – February 9, 1978) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Florida from August 18, 1952, to January 5, 1971, including two periods as chief justice.
Born in Fargo, Georgia,[1] [2] Drew was educated in the public schools of Florida,[3] and received an LL.B. from Stetson University in 1923.[2] [3] That year, Drew entered the practice of law in Palm Beach County, including beginning lengthy service as an attorney for the Town of Palm Beach.[3] On June 10, 1927, Drew married Edith Turner of Cleaton, Kentucky,[4] with whom he had one daughter, Melanie.[3]
While maintaining his private practice, Drew was active in governmental affairs, serving as a member of the State Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission,[3] [5] member and secretary of the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Port of Palm Beach,[5] and a member of the committee whose work resulted in the continuous statutory revision system which became effective in 1941.[3] Drew also served as president of the Stetson University Alumni Association.[2] In addition to continually serving as an attorney for the Town of Palm Beach, he was also an attorney for Jupiter Inlet District and Everglades Drainage District.[5] He also served as president of the Florida Bar Association, and on the committee that drafted the constitution and by-laws for its successor, The Florida Bar. Following this succession, he chaired the newly formed Committee on Judicial Administration of The Florida Bar.[5]
When Florida Supreme Court Justice Roy H. Chapman died suddenly in 1952, a state bar poll named Drew as one of the most qualified attorneys for consideration for the seat,[4] [3] and Governor Fuller Warren subsequently appointed Drew to the court.[6] [1] [3] Drew was elected to the seat in his own right six months later.[6] and continued to be reelected thereafter. Drew served as chief justice from May 6, 1955, to January 8, 1957, and again from July 1, 1963, to July 1, 1965.[1]
In 1957, Drew was the sole Justice dissenting from a decision of the Florida Supreme Court to deny Virgil D. Hawkins admission to the University of Florida Law School on the basis that Hawkins was black.[7]
Drew died in Tallahassee, Florida.[1]