Francis Philip Fleming (September 28, 1841December 20, 1908) was an American Democratic
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
soldier and lawyer before Governor, Fleming has been called the second-worst Florida governor, and his "racist record is undisputed".
Biography
Fleming was born September 28, 1841 in Panama Park (now part of
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. He spent his early years with his parents, Lewis Fleming and his second wife Margaret Seton, on their
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...
plantation, "Hibernia". The plantation narrowly escaped destruction at the hands of the Independent Battalion, Massachusetts Cavalry in mid-April 1864 when
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Guy V. Henry, a relative of the Fleming family, ordered it spared.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, Fleming served the
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
cause by enlisting as a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
in the 2nd Florida
Regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
and received a battlefield promotion to
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
, and subsequently to the rank of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. After being wounded, Fleming returned to Florida and actively enlisted new volunteers, commanding a volunteer
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
at the
Battle of Natural Bridge
The Battle of Natural Bridge was fought during the American Civil War in what is now Woodville, Florida near Tallahassee on March 6, 1865. A small group of Confederate troops and volunteers, which included teenagers from the nearby Florida Mil ...
at St. Marks on March 6, 1865. By the end of the war, Fleming had served under four
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
s: John Magruder,
Joseph Johnston Joseph Johnston may refer to:
*Joseph Johnston (Irish politician) (1890–1972), Irish academic, farmer and politician
*Allan Johnston (politician) (Joseph Allan Johnston, 1904–1974), Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons
* Joseph ...
,
John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the dec ...
, and Robert E. Lee.
After the war, Francis Fleming studied law and was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
in 1868, becoming a partner in the firm of Fleming and Daniel, later Fleming and Fleming. In 1871, he married Floride Lydia Pearson, the daughter of
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...
justice Bird M. Pearson. Together the couple had three children: Francis Philip Jr., Elizabeth Fleming, and Charles Seton.
Francis P. Fleming authored a book memorializing his brother, titled ''The Florida Troops/A Memoir of Captain C. Seton Fleming C.S.A.'', originally published by Times-Union Publishing House, Jacksonville, Florida, 1884. Its preface includes: "The preparation of the following pages was not commenced with the design of publication; but for the purpose of collecting and preserving in manuscript form, a brief memoir of one, in whose life was combined all the elements of true nobility, with that daring heroism which characterized his service as a soldier, during the most eventful period of this country's history, which I felt might be read with profit and pleasure by kindred of another generation." Original copies are quite rare.
Fleming later entered politics, and became the fifteenth Governor of Florida on January 8, 1889, serving until January 3, 1893, the sole term provided by state law at that time. Notable events during Fleming's term include:
* The creation of a state Board of Health to stop a
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
epidemic
An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time.
Epidemics ...
that was sweeping the state;
* The repeal of the Florida Railroad Commission, at the urging of railroad baron
Henry Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founde ...
;
* The start of a reorganization of
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
institutions;
* Adjustment of state revenues;
* The Farmers' Alliance movement;
* The 1891 reelection dispute of
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Wilkinson Call
Wilkinson Call (January 9, 1834August 24, 1910) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1879 to 1897.
Biography
Wilkinson Call, nephew of Territorial Governor of Florida Richard K. Call a ...
.
Fleming later advocated adding a red
saltire
A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltator ...
or diagonal cross, a Confederate war flag symbol, to the Florida flag, in order to distinguish it from a flag of surrender (the flag at that time was a white flag with the Florida seal in the center). This proposal was adopted in 1900 by a statewide whites-only
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
. Fleming also began the tradition of having an official portrait painted and hung in the
Florida State Capitol
The Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, is an architecturally and historically significant building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Capitol is at the intersection of Apalachee Parkway and South ...
.
After he left office, Fleming served on the board of trustees of the new Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home. On December 20, 1908, Fleming died following a long illness. He is buried at the Old City Cemetery in Jacksonville.
Facts
Francis P. Fleming was the son Lewis Fleming (1798–1862) and his second wife, Margaret Seton. He was the great-grandson of
Francis Philip Fatio
Francis Philip Fatio (''Spanish'' Francisco Phelipe Fatio) (1724-1811), born in Switzerland, was a soldier for France, a viscount in Sardinia, a merchant in London, and a prominent planter in East Florida during both the British period and the se ...
, a Swiss-born planter in Florida in both the British and Spanish colonial periods.
Fleming Island, Florida (an un-incorporated community in between Orange Park and
Green Cove Springs
Green Cove Springs is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida, Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,908.
The city is ...
in
Clay County, Florida
Clay County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population was 218,245. Its county seat is Green Cove Springs. It is included in the Jacksonville metropolitan statistical area. It is named in honor o ...
, was part of the Fleming family's Spanish Land Grants. The area has since retained the name Fleming Island.
The former governor and his wife, Floride, are buried in The Old City Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida.
University Athletic Field, the original football facility at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
(UF), was renamed " Fleming Field" after a 1915 renovation at the urging of the late governor's son, Francis P. Fleming Jr., who served on the university's Board of Control and was a UF alumnus. The venue was replaced by much larger
Florida Field
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (in full Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium),
References
Fleming Biography Biography from Florida Department of State, Office of Cultural and Historical Programs