The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-01-03
SCRAPS OF FLORIDA HISTORY

of government was at Pensacola.
Because "Old Hickory" was its first
governor and had the seat of govern
ment in west Florida with the whole
state to select from, some OF the
state divisionists if successful want
to call the new state in honor of that
sterling old democrat.
Governor Jackson as territorial
governor was succeeded by William
P. Duval, who held the office from
1922 to 1884. John w. Eaton was
governor from 1884 to 1885. Richard
K. Call from 1885 to 1899. Robert
Raymond Reid from 1910 to 1874, and
John Branch from 1914 to 1S45.
The territorial governors were an
pointed more for their fitness and
personal preferences than for their
political activity.
William D. Mosely, the first gov
ernor after the state was admitted
to statehood, was democrat.
| Governor Mosely was succeeded by
Thomas Brown, who was whig, so
| it will be seen that the state was very
nearly evenly balanced between the
then two parties.
| David L. Yulee and James D. West
colt were the first United States SEN
ators and both were democrats. The
latter never returned to Florida after
he was elected and died in Canada
soon after the civil war. His remains
were brought back to Florida by his
son, Chief Justice James D. Westcott,
and lies buried in the family burial
ground at the capital.
E. c. Cabell, of west Florida was
our first congressman. He was a
democrat. His seat was contested
by w H. Brockenbrough, whig, but
Cabell retained his seat. In 1S4S
Cabell was again elected to congress
over Ex-Governor Duval and again in
1850 over John Beard, grandfather
of the present John S. Beard. In the
same year Jackson Morton was
elected to the senate, the legislature
being democratic by bare margin.
In 1852 Judge A E. Maxwell, a
citizen of Pensacola, was elected to
congress as a democrat. He was re-
elected in 1854, and again in 1856. In
| 1858 George S. Hawkins was elected
| to congress and was succeeded by
Robert B. Hilton. Hilton's name was
originally Smith but he had it chang
ed to Hilton by act of the legislature,
the same as Mr.. Yulee had his
changed from Levy. Mr.. Hilton was
an editor for a long time after the
civil war and did valiant service for
the state
In 1852 James E. Broome, father o.
the James E. Broome so long a state
senator from Gadsden county, whose
death was but recently announced.
became governor.
Madison S. Perry of Alachua county
was the next governor. He opposed
Mr. Yulee's railroad scheme and hung
it up in the courts until the breaking
out of the civil war.
! John Milton, grandfather of Will
liam H. Milton, who was a candidate
for governor in the late primaries,
was Florida's war governor" The
! surrender preyed upon him to sucn
an extent that it FASTENED his death,
the same as the act of secession is
said to have so preyed upon Governor
Call that he actually died of broken
heart
Abraham K. allison, who was presi-
dent of the senate, succeeded Cover
nor Milton in the executive office.
He held the office until the military
surrender He was the father of c.
E. L. Allison, editor of the Quincy
Republic, to whom the editor of this
paper was bound as printers ap.
prentice
President Johnson appointed vii.
liam Marvin, of Skaneateles, New
York. provisional governor of Flor
ida. Marvin had been a federal judge
in Key West before the civil war and
was regarded as an upright and patri.
otto citizen Wishing to intrust the
people with their own government as
quickly as possible he issued a call
for convention under the old con.
stitution of the state, and David S.
Walker was elected governor. He
served from 1866 to 1868. Congress
reversed the policy of pacification OF
PRESIDENT Johnson, and with it abro.
gated the new constitution of Flor.
ida that was adopted under the call
OF Governor Marvin. A new conyen.
ton was called which framed the con.
stitution of 1868, which in turn was
abolished and the present constitn.
tim adonntod