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'''Reubin W. "Smokey" Peaden''' was a law enforcement officer and gospel-singing politician who had served in the [[Pensacola Police Department]] for twelve years before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives (representing [[Florida House of Representatives District 2|District 2]] ) in [[1972]] and re-elected in [[1974]].
The [[Escambia High School riots]], and the events leading up to them, took place while Peaden was in office, during which he and fellow legislator [[W. D. Childers]] voiced sympathy for white students and parents and offered to explain the "seriousness of the white backlash" to the NAACP.<ref>Gordon Harvey. ''A Question of Justice: New South Governors and Education, 1968-1976''.</ref>
