The 1861 Confederate States House of Representatives election in Florida was held on Wednesday, November 6, 1861 to elect the two
Confederate States Representatives from the state of
Florida, one from each of the state's congressional districts, to represent Florida in the
1st Confederate States Congress
The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...
. The election coincided with the elections of other offices, including the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
and various state and local elections.
The winning candidate would serve a two-year term in the
Confederate States House of Representatives from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864.
Background
Florida seceded from the Union on January 10, 1861 and joined the
Confederate States of America. The state appointed five delegates to the
Provisional Confederate Congress
The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, also known as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a congress of deputies and delegates called together from the Southern States which became the governing body ...
, to serve in interim until the Congress first convened on February 18, 1862.
District 1
Candidates
* Antonio A. Canova,
state representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
* James M. Commander, former
U.S. Army general
*
James Baird Dawkins
James Baird Dawkins (November 14, 1820 – February 12, 1883) was a prominent Confederate politician. He was born in
Union County, (now Cherokee County) South Carolina and later moved to Florida. He represented that state in the First Confe ...
, former
U.S. attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...
for the
U.S. Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Florida
*
Philip Dell
Philip Dell was a Florida politician.
Philip Dell was the son of James Maxey Dell of Virginia, who owned a large slave plantation in Alachua County, Florida in the 1820s and represented the county in the Legislative Council of the Florida Territ ...
, former
president of the Florida Senate
General election
Results
Aftermath
Dawkins resigned from Congress on December 9, 1862 following his appointment to a state court by Governor
John Milton
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...
. The
special election to replace him was won by
John Marshall Martin
John Marshall Martin (March 18, 1832 – August 10, 1921) was a slaveowner, an officer in the Confederate Army, and a member of the Confederate Congress.
Biography
Martin was born in Edgefield County, South Carolina and moved to Marion County ...
.
District 2
Candidates
* Frederick R. Cotton, planter
*
Robert Benjamin Hilton
Robert Benjamin Hilton (' Smith; 1821 – January 10, 1894) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, soldier, and Confederate politician who served in the Congress of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.
Biography
Hilton was bo ...
, former
U.S. representative-elect
* James L. Mosely, former
North Carolina state representative
* John Tanner, former
Orange County commissioner
*
Frederick L. Villepigue
Frederick L. Villepigue (c. 1826–?) served as Secretary of State of Florida from July 1, 1853, to January 13, 1863.
Early life
Villepigue was born in South Carolina. He was descended from a Frenchman, Francois Villepigue, who immigrated ...
,
secretary of state of Florida
The Secretary of State of Florida is an executive officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Florida, established since the original 1838 state constitution. Like the corresponding officials in other states, the original charge of the ...
General election
Results
See also
*
Confederate States House of Representatives elections, 1861
References
Notes
{{Authority control
1st Confederate States Congress
Fla
Con
Fla
Non-partisan elections
Fla
Political history of the Confederate States of America