"Today in Florida History"

for November

1861                 Brigadier General J. H. Trapier assumed command of Confederate forces in Florida.  General Trapier informed Governor Milton that he anticipated a force of 7,000 men would be needed to defend Florida.

1862                 Eighteen Union ships took up station off the Gulf Coast of Florida to interdict and disrupt the activities of Confederate blockade-runners.

1863                 Union Admiral Bailey, commander of the East Gulf Blackading Squadron, reported that his naval task force now constituted 33 ships on blockade duty.

                        Major Pleasant W. White, Chief Confederate Commissary Officer in Florida, appealed to the citizens of the state to contribute “food and other supplies” to the Confederate cause.  (The Pleasant W. White Papers are housed in the Tebeau Collection of the Alma Clyde Field Library in Cocoa.)

                        The beginning of November 1863 saw the following Florida units on duty with the Confederate Army of Tennessee that was engaged in siege operations around Chattanooga:

                        Florida Marion Artillery

                        Florida 1st Cavalry Regiment

                        Florida 1st (Reorganized) Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 3rd Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 4th Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 6th Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 7th Infantry regiment

1895                 The Florida Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) was organized near Live Oak.  Elder Joseph A. West was installed as the first conference president.

1923                 Nathan Mayo assumed office as the Commissioner of Agriculture, a position he held until his death on April 14, 1960. 

1927                 WSUN Radio went on the air today in St. Petersburg.

1934                 The Florida Nurses Association, founded in 1909, was incorporated today.

1861                 Captain G. W. Parkhill, an ardent opponent of secession, accepted an appointment today in the Army of Northern Virginia.

1863                 The following Florida units were on duty with the Confederate Army of Tennessee that was engaged in siege operations around Chattanooga:

                        Florida Marion Artillery

                        Florida 1st Cavalry Regiment

                        Florida 1st (Reorganized) Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 3rd Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 4th Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 6th Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 7th Infantry regiment

1869                 A proposal that called for the annexation of Florida lands west of the Apalachicola river into Alabama was approved by a nearly 2-1 margin of West Florida voters.  This proposal, one of several similar propositions to be offered in the state’s history, came to naught.  Even today there are “secessionist” ideas that occasionally come to the public’s attention in the Panhandle area.

1896                 Seven thousand acres of Osceola County were purchased today for $94,500.  The purchase of land was for the establishment of a “Shaker” community.

1948                 Johnnie Wright of DeFuniak Springs was elected to the Florida State Senate on this date.  Wright, age 23 years and 7 months, was one of two members of  the Senate at this young age.  The other state senator,  D. J. O’Grady of Inverness, was 23 years and 3 months old when he was elected in 1967.

1982                 Ileana Ros of Miami became the first Hispanic woman elected to the Florida Legislature.  Ms. Ros also added her name to the history of the Legislature when she wed a fellow representative, Dexter Lehtinen, in 1984.  Ms. Ros-Lehtinen is currently a member of the United States House of Representative from South Florida.

1752                 Most of the Spanish settlement on Santa Rosa Island nearly destroyed by a hurricane.

1862                 Floridians were appalled by the news that a Federal regiment of Negro troops had landed in Fernandina to replace white troops stationed on Amelia Island.

1863                 The U.S.S. Tioga was ordered to duty as part of the Union blockading squadron in the Gulf of Mexico.

1883                 The Bank of Tampa opened.

1957                 Floridians, along with the rest of the world, were shocked and amazed when the Russians successfully launched SPUTNIK II into orbit.  This satellite, which carried a dog named “Laika,” was the first manmade space vehicle to carry a living organism into space.  The ramifications of this launch included an expanded United States space program and a considerable increase in jobs and money for Brevard County, the site of the Cape Canaveral Space Center.  The increased activity produced a significant increase in the population of Florida’s East Coast.

1782                 John Branch, the sixth territorial governor of Florida, was born today in Halifax County, North Carolina. He died at Enfield, North Carolina, on January 3, 1863. For more information on Branch, see the “Today in Florida History” entry for August 11.

1862                 Captain Alfred T. Snell and the crew of the U.S.S. Hale today captured the pilot boat Wave and an unnamed schooner in Nassau Sound, Fl.

1885                 Clara Louise Guild enrolls as the first student at Rollins College in Winter Park.

1906                 Mrs. Lamar Bledsoe, former Chief Clerk to the Florida House of Representative, was born today in Apalachicola, FL.

1927                 The official winter quarters for the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus were established in Sarasota today.

1600                 The King of Spain ordered the Governor of Cuba to open an investigation into the worthiness of St. Augustine as a permanent fortress and city in Florida.

1823                 The United States War Department ordered the establishment of a military outpost at Tampa Bay.  As a result, construction begins on Fort Brooke.

1828                 The town of Marianna is incorporated under the provisions established by the Territorial Legislature.

1863                 The U.S.S. Beauregard today seized the British schooner Volante off Cape Canaveral.  The Volante was carrying a cargo of salt and dry goods.

1894                 The City of West Palm Beach is incorporated.

1915                 The first successful catapult launch of a piloted aircraft from a ship was made today by Lieutenant Commander H. C. Mustin off the deck of the U.S.S. North Carolina in Pensacola Bay.  Lieutenant Commander Muslin was flying an AB-2 “flying boat.”

1702                 Colonel Daniel and British troops from Charleston occupied the town of St. Augustine and laid siege to the Spanish Castillo de San Marcos there.

1861                 Colonel Richard F. Floyd, commander of Florida troops at Aplachicola, was ordered by Governor John Milton to remove all guns, troops, supplies, munitions and other war materiel from St. Vincent’s Island to the mainland. 

1862                 The Confederate schooner, Elia Reed, carrying a cargo of cotton, turpentine, and resin, was captured today off the coast of Florida by the U.S.S. Octorara.

1864                 Boats from the U.S.S. Adela today captured the Confederate schooner, Badger, as it attempted to run the Union blockade of St. George’s Sound.

1868                 Jonathan C. Gibbs assumed the office of Secretary of State, the first African-American to hold this position.  He fulfills the obligations of this office until January 17, 1873.

1962                 Mrs. George W. “Beth” Johnson of Orlando was elected today as Florida’s first woman state senator.

1965                 The U.S. operated “Varadero-to-Miami” freedom flights were inaugurated today.  Under the terms of an agreement between the United States and the Cuban government of Fidel Castro, these flights would bring 3,000-4,000 Cuban refugees to the United States.

1971                 Spessard Lindsey Holland, 28th governor of Florida, state senator, and United States Senator, died today in Bartow (Polk County).  A much decorated World War I hero, Holland was a popular Florida politician.  For more information, see the “Today in Florida History” entry for July 10.

1814                 General Andrew Jackson today took control of Spanish Pensacola.  British troops quartered at Fort Barrancas blew up their fort and were evacuated under the watchful eye of more than 3,000 American soldiers.

1854                 A referendum to relocated the state capital from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, Ocala, or St. Augustine was rejected today by Florida voters.

1861                 Governor and Mrs. John Milton announced the birth of a son today.  In keeping with the Milton’s commitment to Southern independence, the boy was named “Jefferson Davis Milton.”

1863                 The U.S.S. Annie today captured the British schooner, Paul, today near Bayport.  The Paul was carrying an assorted cargo.

1864                 The U.S.S. Ottawa, on duty in the St. John’s River,  was ordered to assist Union troops evacuating Magnolia.

1884                 Parts of downtown Palatka, including several resort hotels, were destroyed by fire today.

1895                 Martha Reid Chapter (#19) of the United Daughters of the Confederacy was chartered today in Jacksonville.

1814                 Spanish Governor Maurique formally surrendered Pensacola to American forces under the command of General Andrew Jackson today, officially acknowledging the reality of Jackson’s defeat of Spanish forces.  Jackson soon restored Pensacola to the Spanish, but only after the British forces had been evacuated to the mouth of the Apalachicola River.

1862                 Union General Nathaniel P. Banks was appointed to command the Federal Department of the Gulf, which includes West Florida.

1876                 Eartha Mary Magdalene White, African-American humanitarian and the founder of the Clara White Mission, was born today in Jacksonville.

1904                 The City of Umatilla was incorporated.

1958                 The third attempt by the United States Air Force to launch a rocket to the moon fails after a mere 1,000 miles.

1962                 The United States announces that all Soviet missile bases in Cuba have been dismantled, thus ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.

1966                 Claude Kirk was elected governor of Florida today.  He was the first Republican governor elected since the end of Reconstruction.

1973                 Construction started today on the new Capitol building.  When finished (August 19,1977), it will be Florida’s fourth capitol building.

1702                 The civilian population of St. Augustine seek safety behind the walls of the Castillo De San Marcos as British troops from Charleston, under the command of Colonel Daniel, extend their control over the city and the surrounding areas.

1838                 Fort Gatlin was established today between the present-day sites of Orlando and Pine Castle.

1868                 William H. Gleason, former Lieutenant Governor of Florida, died today in Eau Gallie.  Gleason proclaimed himself governor when the Florida Legislature adjourned while the Senate was still debating the question of impeaching the sitting governor, Harrison Reed.  The State Adjutant General and the sheriff of Leon County sided with Reed and surrounded the governor’s office to prevent Gleason from occupying the office.  On November 24, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that Reed was still the lawful governor and that Gleason’s claim to the office was spurious. 

                        Governor Reed then brought charges against Gleason, charging him with having been ineligible for public office since he had been a resident of the state for less than the three years mandated by the Florida Constitution.  Governor Reed prevailed, and Gleason was forced from office on December 14, 1868.

                        Following his abbreviated service as lieutenant Governor, Gleason took up residency in Dade County.  He served in the Florida House of Representative from 1871 until 1874.

                        Following some reverses in his finances, Gleason moved his family to Eau Gallie into the building that had been previously constructed as a site for the University of Florida.  Gradually, the Gleason fortunes were restored and William H. Gleason gained a great deal of prominence in his new home. 

1967                 NASA sent the Apollo 4 capsule into a successful orbit today using the Saturn V racket.

1976                 William D. “Bill” Gunter assumed the office of Treasurer of the State of Florida today.

1824                 Governor William P. Duval delivered his annual message to the legislative council at its first session in the new capital, Tallahassee.

1862                 The Union bark, Gemsbok, arrived today at Turtle Bay with orders to “protect the coast schooners.”  The Federal schooner, Jos. M. Houston, was at anchor in Turtle Harbor with a cargo of 300 tons of coal.

1863                 A public meeting was held today in Tallahassee for the purpose of securing food and other supplies for the families of Confederate soldiers.

1867                 The first boat of the Palatka to Leesburg freight and passenger steamboat line docks at Leesburg.

1885                 The City of Fort Meade (Polk County) was incorporated.

TODAY IS ARMISTICE DAY!

ON THIS DAY AT 11:00 P.M., WORLD WAR I CAME TO AN END.  FLORIDIANS JOINED THE REST OF THE WORLD IN CELEBRATING THE END OF THIS WAR!

1861                 Thomas E. Will, the pioneer developer of the Everglades and South Florida, was born today in Illinois.

                        In other news, it was reported that the Union navy now had nine ships blockading the Gulf Coast off the mouth of the Apalachicola River.

1862                 The U.S.S. Kensington has captured the Confederate schooner, Course, off the coast of Florida today. 

1904                 Gainesville defeated the Ocala High School football team in its first game by the decisive score of 67-0.

1920                 The City of Altamonte Springs was incorporated today. 

1966                 The Gemini 12 space vehicle was launched today from Cape Canaveral.

1982                 The space shuttle, Columbia (STS-5), was launched today from Cape Canaveral as America’s shuttle program began to move into high gear.

1828                 Governor William P. Duval, on behalf of the Federal government, was presented with a receipt for $1323.00 for the U.S. government’s payment for the transportation of 2,412 Seminoles from their homes in the southern part of the peninsula to reservations in central Florida and the Panhandle.  This was according to the terms of the “Treaty of Moultrie Creek,” signed September 18, 1823.

1828                 The City of Magnolia was incorporated today under the aegis of the Territorial government.

1862                 The British blockade runner, Maria, was seized today by the U.S.S. Kensington off the coast of Florida.

1864                 A Union raiding party, composed of sailors form the U.S.S. Hendrick Hudson and the U.S.S. Nita, attempted to destroy salt works near Tampa Bay today, but were driven off by Confederate cavalry.  Union losses were one wounded and five deserted.

1921                 The Jewish congregation, B’nai Israel, was incorporated in Gainesville.

1926                 In public ceremonies today, Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard was dedicated. 

1981                 Today the space shuttle (STS-2) was launched from Cape Canaveral.

1785                 Governor Patrick Tonyn and the British occupants of East Florida evacuated St. Augustine and full control was returned to the Spanish.

1821                 Today Andrew Jackson submitted his resignation as governor of Florida to President James Monroe.  Monroe officially accepted the resignation on December 31.

1862                 Negro troops of the Union army stationed at Fernandina were reported to be cruising along the east coast of Florida looking for and destroying salt works.

1876                 The twenty-third governor of Florida (January 4, 1921-January 6, 1925), Cary Augustus Hardee, was born today in Taylor County.  Educated in the public schools, Hardee was a school teacher until 1900, when he was admitted to the state bar and began his legal practice in Live Oak.  From 1905 until 1913, he served as the State’s Attorney.  In 1915 and 1917, Hardee served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. 

                        Hardee’s administration oversaw reapportionment of the Florida Legislature, the amendment of the state constitution to prohibit income taxes and inheritance taxes, and the abolition of “convict leasing” to private corporations and individuals. 

                        After his term as governor, Hardee became a banker in Live Oak.  In 1932, he sought the Democratic nomination for governor, but was defeated.

                        Cary Augustus Hardee died in Live Oak on November 21, 1957.

1915                 Florida’s first F.W. Woolworth store opened today in Tampa.

1934                 Today was the first day of dawn-to-dusk air passenger service between Miami and New York inaugurated by Eastern Air Lines.  The introduction of DC-2 aircraft eliminated the need for an overnight stay in Jacksonville. 

1821                 Governor Andrew Jackson follows his letter of resignation with a second letter to President James Monroe urging quick acceptance of his resignation, because “I am truly wearied of public life.  I want rest.”

1861                 Governor John Milton sent an urgent request to the Confederate War Department seeking the transfer of military supplies brought into Savannah by the blockade runner, Fingal. 

1862                 A Federal expedition from Pensacola, which included five boats, a special work gang, and sixty U.S. marines, was headed along the coast to St. Andrews Bay with orders to destroy all salt works located between the two ports.

1863                 It was reported today that Confederate ships had captured two Union coal schooners near Perdido Bay today.  One was destroyed by fire. 

1868                 A three-day election was held statewide under U.S. Army supervision to elect representatives to a constitutional convention to write a new governing document for the state in order to meet the requirements of the “Radical” Republican Congress.

1913                 Former United States Senator George A. Smathers was born today in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  In a bitter campaign against Claude Pepper, Smathers was elected to the U.S. Senate on November 7, 1950.  Prior to his senatorial service, he had served as Assistant U.S. District Attorney, as a special assistant to the Attorney General, and as a two-term member of the United States House of Representatives.

1969                 Today the Apollo 12 space mission was launched from Cape Canaveral.  This was mankind’s second effort to land on the Moon.  Apollo 12 astronauts were Charles Conrad, Jr., Richard F. Gordon, Jr., and Alan F. Bean.  On November 19, Bean and Conrad would have a successful 32-hour stay on the Moon.  In recognition of their successful venture and upon the return to Earth, President Richard M. Nixon called them aboard the aircraft carrier Hornet to express his thanks and the gratitude of the people of the United States.  He also informed them that had all been given promotions.

1979                 Alcee Hastings of Fort Lauderdale was appointed a Federal District Judge by President Jimmy Carter.  Hastings was the first African-American to serve in this position in Florida.  A controversial figure, Hastings was impeached and removed from office by the United States Senate.

1929                 The Florida Glider Association was formed today in Fernandina.

1862                 The Confederate sloop, G. L. Brockenborough, captured recently at Apalachicola, has been purchased by the Federal government for $900.00.

1864                 Confederate Brigadier General J. J. Finley of Florida was severely wounded today in a clash with Union soldiers at Jonesboro, Georgia.

1960                 The 1960 census showed that Florida had experienced a 78.7% increase in its population since the 1950 census.  As a result, Florida received four additional seats in the United States Congress.

1990                 The space shuttle (STS-38) was launched today from Cape Canaveral.

1862                 The U.S.S. Tioga, on duty with the Gulf Blockading Squadron, was enroute to Key West for supplies and repairs.

1863                 Colonel J. J. Finley was promoted to brigadier general today and assigned the command of the 6th Florida Infantry Regiment, which was attached to the Confederate Army of Tennessee.

                        The Rachel Seaman was assigned to duty with the Union East Gulf Blockading Squadron. 

1864                 An expedition of the Union army left Fort Barrancas (Pensacola) today for an incursion to Pine Barren Ridge, Florida.

1888                 Doak S. Campbell, former president of Florida State University, was born today in Waldron, Arkansas.  Campbell received his doctorate from George Peabody College in 1930.  He became president of the Florida State College for Women in 1941 and continued in that position when the university became co-ed in 1948.  The football stadium at FSU is named for Doak S. Campbell.

1897                 The first edition of the Kissimmee Valley Gazette was published today.

1963                 President John F. Kennedy observed the submarine launch of a Polaris missile today off the coast of Cape Canaveral.  Kennedy was on a visit to the NASA Space Center.

1973                 Skylab 3 was launched today from Cape Canaveral.

1698                 The first units of a Spanish expedition led by Juan Jordan de Reina arrived in Pensacola Bay with the task of erecting fortifications.  The Spanish effort was aimed at thwarting French colonization efforts in West Florida.

1829                 The Bank of Marianna was chartered today.

1856                 John Henry Eaton, the second Territorial governor of Florida (1834), died today at his home in Washington, D.C.  Eaton was born on June 18, 1790, in Halifax County, North Carolina.  He practiced law in Nashville and was a member of the United States Senate for eight years.  Andrew Jackson appoint him Secretary of War, which immediately thrust him into the center of a controversy in the Capital.  His wife, Peggy O’Neale, was a former bar maid in a Washington tavern, a situation which led the wives of prominent politicians to boycott functions she attended. 

            The O’Neale Affair seriously damaged the relationship of Jackson and his Vice President, John C. Calhoun, who refused to force his aristocratic wife to attend such functions. 

                        After serving as governor, Eaton served as American Minister to Spain. 

1862                 The Florida Legislature convened in Tallahassee today.  Observers reported that the new Legislature was more “moderate” than the one that preceded it. 

1847                 Henry I. Louttit, Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Division of South Florida, was elected the first president of the Florida Council of Churches meeting in Jacksonville.

1861                 The Florida Legislature opened its session today.  Legislators received a request to fund the conversion of the Chattahoochee Arsenal into a military academy of Floridians to “be trained in the art of war.”

1862                 The Union gunboat Tioga arrived in Key West today, refueled and resupplied and put back to sea for blockade duty--all within 12 hours!

1863                 The Florida Legislature today elected Benjamin J. Allen to serve as the state’s Secretary of State.  It also elected James M. Baker as the Confederate Senator from Florida.

1923                 Alan Shephard, sometime Brevard County resident and first American in space, was born today.

1810                 The first session of the Senate of the “State of Florida”--known as the Republic of West Florida--started today in Francisville, Louisiana.  Today’s Florida was still under the control of the Spanish government.

1824                 This is the date officially established as the founding of Tallahassee as the Capital of Florida.

1861                 Governor John Milton requested 1,000 Enfield rifles and two rifled cannon for the defense of St. Marks and Apalachicola.   In addition, the governor requested 1,000 sabers, 1,000 cavalry pistols and “a few hundred bags of buckshot.”

1883                 “Tater Hill Bluff,” was renamed Arcadia and received its first U.S. Post Office today.

1927                 Florida consumers were delighted when the first Sears, Roebuck and Company store opened today in Jacksonville.

1969                 Apollo 12 astronauts walked on the moon and established a research station.  [See related story entry for November 14]

1817                 The first elections for Representatives of “The Republic of the Floridas” were held at Fernandina.  Jared Irwin, former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, was later elected president of this enterprise.  Spanish authorities were “less than thrilled” by this blatant American effort to wrest a portion of Florida from its control.

1854                 The Florida Baptist Convention was organized today in Madison.

1861                 Floridians learned that 27 members of the crew of the Confederate schooner, Beauregard, were lodged in the Monroe County jail in Key West following the capture on their vessel by the Unions ship, William G. Anderson, on November 12.

1862                 The U.S.S. Montgomery captured the Confederate sloop William E. Chester near Pensacola Bay today.

1910                 Florida motion picture companies, operating largely in studios around Jacksonville, were heartened today when it was announced that more than 120,000 projectors had been sold nationwide.

1924                 The George S. Gandy Bridge between Tampa and St. Petersburg was officially opened today by Governor Cary S. Hardee.

1962                 The first legal papers creating a condominium association were filed today in Palm Beach County Clerk of Court’s office.

1828                 The City of Quincy was incorporated today.

1829                 The City of Webbville was incorporated.

1863                 Confederate forces readied  themselves for an attack on the Union forces at Pensacola, which were under the command of General Alexander Asboth.

1864                 The Florida Legislature began its 13th session in Tallahassee today.  The State Treasurer reported that there was $1,106,622.07 treasury notes in circulation and that the State had an outstanding bond debt of $370,617.

1925                 The first Winn-Dixie Stores were opened by the Davis family in Miami.  This chain of retail grocery stores was first called, “Table Supply.”

1946                 President Harry S. Truman took a ride in a captured German U-boat during American Navy maneuvers off the coast of Key West, thus becoming the first American president to ride in a submarine while in office.

1957                 Cary Augustus Hardee, the 23rd governor of Florida, died today in Live Oak.  [For more information, see the entry for November 13.]

1969                 The first British radio satellite was launched into orbit by a U.S. rocket today from Cape Canaveral.

1985                 Hurricane Kate, a Category 2 storm, struck the Florida Panhandle near Port St. Joe.  The storm inflicted an estimated $300 million in damages.

1828                 The Florida Legislature approved an act to create a state banking system and to issue $10,000 in notes, with denominations ranging from 12 1/2 cents to $5.00.

1861                 Federal batteries at Fort Pickens opened a barrage against two Confederate ships at anchor near the Navy wharf in Pensacola.  Confederate batteries returned the fire.  Two Federal ships, the Richmond and the Niagara, joined in.  The Confederate Fort McRee sustained heavy damage in the eight-hour artillery duel.

1884                 The Fort Myers News-Press was founded today.

1901                 In the first intercollegiate football game, Stetson University defeated the Florida Agricultural College (which became the University of Florida) of Lake City by a score of 6-0 in Jacksonville.

1963                 Floridians joined the rest of the world in expressing their anguish, outrage, and confusion about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy today in Dallas.  Kennedy was a popular president among citizens of the state and had just concluded a visit to Florida the day before the Dallas tragedy.

1966                 The University of Florida’s popular and controversial football coach, Steve Spurrier, was named the recipient of the Heisman Trophy for his achievements as the quarterback of the University of Florida football team.  Spurrier was the first athlete in the state to receive this honor.

1988                 Hurricane Keith struck the western shore of Florida between Tampa and Ft. Myers with winds of 65 mph.

1823                 The Bank of Florida (Tallahassee) was founded today.

1863                 The Battle of Chattanooga started today and continued through the 25th.  Florida units, attached to the Army of Tennessee commanded by General Braxton E. Bragg, were the: 

                        Florida Marion Artillery

                        Florida First Cavalry Regiment

                        Florida 1st (Reorganized) Infantry Regiment

                        Florida 3rd Infantry regiment

                        Florida 4th Infantry Regiment

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