William D. Bloxham

Florida Governor William Bloxham

William Dunnington Bloxham (born July 9, 1835 in Leon County , Florida , † March 15, 1911 in Tallahassee , Florida) was an American politician and from 1881 to 1885 and 1897 to 1901 the 13th and 17th governor of the state Florida.

Early years and political career

William Bloxham graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia in 1855 . He studied law, but never worked as a lawyer. Instead, he decided to become the planter . From 1860 he represented the Democratic Party in the Florida House of Representatives . In 1862 he set up an infantry company with soldiers from Leon County, which he himself commanded. However, he was not used in the military during the civil war . After the war he resumed his political activities. In 1870 he was elected lieutenant governor . However, he could not take this office because the election was declared invalid. However, he became a board member of the Florida Democratic Party. During the Reconstruction he was one of the spokesmen for the democratic opposition to this policy. In 1876 he became Secretary of State in the government of Governor George Franklin Drew . For the gubernatorial elections of 1880 he was put up as a candidate by his party.

Florida governor

After winning the election, Bloxham took up his new office on January 4, 1881. In his first term, land sales in the Everglades raised up to a million dollars in the treasury. This contributed significantly to relieving the budget. At the same time, the Florida railroad experienced a huge boom. On January 7, 1885, his first term as governor ended. According to the state constitution, direct re-election was not possible.

In 1885 he became head of the US Surveyor General for Florida and in 1890 he took over the management of the Florida State Audit Office. In 1896 he decided to run again for the office of governor. He succeeded in winning the elections and on January 5, 1897, he was able to begin a second four-year term as governor. In this the Railway Committee was re-established, which Governor Francis P. Fleming had abolished, and given greater powers. During this time, the Spanish-American War broke out and the governor had to assist the federal government in Washington, DC in their war effort. He had to organize recruiting and ensure the security of the state; after all, Cuba , which at that time still belonged to Spain , was not far from the south coast of Florida. Due to the brevity of the war and the quick American victory, the war did not have a lasting effect on Florida or any other US state.

Further life

Bloxham's second and final term ended on January 8, 1901. He then withdrew from politics and devoted himself to his private affairs. William Bloxham died in March 1911. He was married to Mary C. Davis, with whom he had two children.

Web links

• William D. Bloxham in the nndb (English)
• William Bloxham at the National Governors Association (English)
• Florida Governors' Portraits (English)
• William D. Bloxham in the database of Find a Grave (English)