This Day in History

1815 – David Shelby Walker, Florida’s 8^th governor was born on this date in Russelville Kentucky. He moved to Leon County in 1837 and was elected to the first State Legislature in 1845 as a Senator, serving again in 1848 in the House. Later, Walker served as the mayor of Tallahassee and also the Register of Public Lands. He was a Florida Supreme Court Justice before being elected Governor in 1865. Walker was a circuit court judge until his death in 1891. He is buried in the Saint John’s Episcopal Church Cemetery in Tallahassee.    

1890 – William D. Bloxham was appointed State Comptroller on this date. Bloxham served as Florida’s governor from 1881-1885, then again from 1897-1901. He was born on a plantation in Leon County on July 9^th, 1835 (only the second native governor at the time) and became interested in politics at a young age. He was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1861, also serving in the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Bloxham also served briefly as Secretary of State in 1880, and U.S. Surveyor General for Florida from 1885-1889. Bloxham died in 1911 in Tallahassee.

1913 – Happy Birthday Bay County, which was carved out of Washington and part of Calhoun County on this date. In February 1913, representatives from five towns on St. Andrews Bay met in Panama City to select a name for a proposed new county. Panama City was chosen as the county seat a year later and remains the most populous city. The name Bay was selected because it was satisfactory to the majority of the citizens and was descriptive of the territory that would be included. The population of Bay County in 1920 was 11,407, in 2010 it swelled to 168,852.

1982 – The Florida Keys seceded from the Union and the Conch Republic was born on this date. On April 18, 1982, the United States Border Patrol set up a roadblock just south of Florida City, on U.S. Highway 1, to catch illegal immigrants traveling to and from the Florida Keys. The Key West City Council complained repeatedly about the inconvenience for travelers to and from Key West, claiming that it hurt the Keys' important tourism industry.

1897 – April 21: Bartow gets its first electric street lights on this date! Shown: Main Street shortly after electric streetlights were put in use, looking west from Florida Avenue. Gent's Furnishing is located in the building in left foreground. Lytle and Lybass Livery Stables and C. Schultz are located in the building in center of photograph.

1967 – The Florida State Legislature designated orange juice as the official beverage of Florida on this date. Citrus has been an integral part of Florida’s history since the first Europeans arrived on its shores and it remains an important component of Florida’s agricultural industry.

1857 – Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Florida’s 19th governor was born on this date in Duval County. Broward had an interesting career prior to being governor, first working on steamboats in and around Jacksonville eventually becoming one of the best captains in the region. He was appointed sheriff of Duval County and gained influen...ce among the city’s politicians and other powerful individuals. Broward was elected to the State Legislature in 1900 and ran for governor in 1904.

1962 – Two-time Super Bowl champion linebacker Wilber Marshall was born in Titusville on this date. Marshall attended the University of Florida where he was named all-American in 1982 and 1983 and was a 3-time first-team SEC selection. In the 1984 NFL draft Marshall was the 11th pick in the first round with the Chicago Bears. Marshall helped lead the Bears to a 46-10 Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in 1986 and 37-24 Super Bowl win over the Buffalo Bills in 1992.

1822 – April 17: William Pope Duval became the first territorial Governor of Florida. In 1821, Florida became a U.S. Territory. Duval was named United States Judge for the East Florida district on May 18, 1821. On April 17, 1822, President James Monroe appointed him as the first non-military governor of the territory, succeeding General Andrew Jackson. He was reappointed by President John Quincy Adams and President Andrew Jackson. During his twelve-year administration, he established the territory’s capital at Tallahassee.

1980 – Edmund Skellings was named the Poet Laureate of Florida, a lifetime appointment, by Governor Bob Graham on this date. Originally from Ludlow Massachusetts, Skellings studied English at UM Amherst, than pursued graduate studies at the University of Iowa. Even early in his career, Skellings was a proponent of young people learning to write well and study poetry. He began teaching at Florida Atlantic University in 1967 and began experimenting with early audio amplification, combining this new technology with his poems.