On April 11, 1995, Nathaniel Glover, Jr. made history by being elected as the first African American sheriff in Florida in more than 100 years. Sheriff Glover served for two terms and retired from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on June 30, 2003.
Nathaniel Glover was born on March 29, 1943, in Jacksonville, Florida. He is married to Doris J. Bailey and has two children, two grandsons, and a granddaughter. Sheriff Glover received his childhood education from New Stanton School. He graduated from Edward Waters College with a Bachelor of Science in Social Science before receiving his Master of Education from the University of North Florida. He is a graduate of the 130th Session of the FBI National Academy and a graduate of the 1989 class of Leadership Jacksonville. In 1995, Edward Waters College presented Sheriff Glover with an Honorary Doctorate of Law.
Sheriff Glover began his law enforcement career with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on November 12, 1966. In 1969, he became an investigator in the Detective Division. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1974 and headed the Police Hostage Negotiation Team from 1975–1986. He served as Chief of Services from 1986–1988 and was then appointed Deputy Director of Police Services. In 1991, he was named Director of Police Services, one of the top three positions in the Department.
During his first term in office, Sheriff Glover donated approximately $250,000 of his pension benefits to a college scholarship fund for deserving low-income children in the Jacksonville community. In 1999, Sheriff Glover was awarded the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award. In 2003 Nat Glover served as co-Chair and then Chair of Mayor Peyton’s Transition Team after opposing him as a run-off candidate in a heated Mayoral race.
Sheriff Glover has received the Liberty Bell Award from the Jacksonville Bar Association and the Law and Spirituality Award from the Catholic Lawyers Guild. He is the past recipient of the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award granted by the Jacksonville Jewish Community and the Sallye B. Mathis Award for outstanding community service from the Jacksonville Branch NAACP. The Mental Health Association of Northeast Florida presented the Sheriff with the Community Service Award, and the Arthritis Foundation selected the Sheriff as the Community Leader of the Year 2002. Sheriff Glover was chosen to participate in the White House Leadership Conference on Youth, Drug Use and Violence. He has also received the outstanding alumnus awards from the University of North Florida, Edward Waters College and Leadership Jacksonville, Inc.
In November of 2006, Sheriff Glover was introduced as a special advisor to University of North Florida President John Delaney. The Sheriff’s role at the university is to promote higher education, college recruitment, and drop-out prevention. He also serves as a special envoy for education to Florida Community College at Jacksonville and Edward Waters College. In partnership with FCCJ, Edward Waters College, and Jacksonville University, Sheriff Glover is championing a program entitled The Jacksonville Commitment.
Sheriff Glover remains involved in many community activities. He is President Pro-Tempore of the Trustee Board, St. Stephen AME Church; a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Fraternal Order of Police, and the Brotherhood of Police Officers. He serves on several boards including Fresh Ministries, Hope Haven, and The Bridge of Northeast Florida. Sheriff Glover also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Police and Fire Pension Fund and Edward Waters College.