David Levy Yulee
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United States Senator David Levy Yulee (1810–1886) was the driving force behind the Florida Railroad, the state’s first trans-state line. Yulee was the visionary who unleashed the “iron dragon” and sent it rumbling through the swamps and pine forests from the ocean to the gulf. Yulee’s railroad opened up the center of the state and planted new towns in the wilderness. A brilliant statesman, a resolute organizer, and the first person of Jewish descent to serve in the U.S. Congress, this fascinating Floridian had a profound impact on the growth and development of Alachua County and North Central Florida.