John Buckley Collection--5250 photographs from 1969-1976

Collection Number: N2008- 14
Creator: Buckley, John
Title: Photographic collection, 1969-1976.
Quantity: 5250 photographs

Description: This collection consists of 35 mm black and white negatives, 35mm slides, and 8"x10" prints taken by John Buckley documenting demonstrations in and around Florida as well as in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA. There are also photographs from the 1972 Florida Democratic Convention in Miami; images from the Florida Folk Festival; and commercial portraits. Of the 5250 photographs in the collection, 571 related to Florida have been scanned and placed online.

Historical Note: John Buckley grew up in Newport, Rhode Island and lived with his family for a time in Canada before moving to Panama City in the early 1950s. It was in Florida schools that he became acutely aware of racism and segregation in the Deep South. These experiences would have a lasting effect on his later life as an activist and photographer. He attended Florida State University from 1963 until 1967 and graduated with a degree in physics. While at FSU, he became deeply involved in political and social movements. In addition to taking pictures, he helped organize workers’ strikes in Tallahassee and worked as a platform speaker and photographer for civil rights demonstrations, anti-war rallies, anti-nuclear demonstrations, and women’s rights demonstrations. John Buckley passed away on December 7, 2008. He is survived by Patricia Muar, a retired college nursing instructor and his wife of 30 years.