1884 – John Wellborn Martin, the 24th Governor of Florida (1925-1929) was born in Plainfield in Marion County on this date. Martin passed the bar in 1914 and began practicing law in Jacksonville soon after. He was elected Mayor of Jacksonville in 1917 and served until 1923. He was sworn in as Governor on January 6, 1925 and focused much of his work on building new roads and infrastructure in the growing state, as well as expanding state-funded public schools. After leaving office he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. Senate and died in Jacksonville in 1958.
1905 – The Carnegie Library in Jacksonville was officially opened to the public on this date. In May of 1901 a devastating fire destroyed most buildings in Jacksonville including the city’s library. In 1902 industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie agreed to donate $50,000 towards the construction of a new library provided the city designate a site and provide $5,000 annually for library support. When the library was opened, it was the largest and only tax-payer supported library in Florida. The original building still exists, but is now privately owned.
1863 - Federal army and naval forces continued evacuating Jacksonville on this date. As they evacuated, Union soldiers set fire to much of the town. Jacksonville was the center of Confederate military operations in Florida and the fires caused national outrage and debate over who was to blame. Rain helped to contain the fire, but the damage was already done as most of the city lay in ruins.
