John Perry Wall (1836-1895) was an American physician, and mayor of

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

, Florida from 1878 to 1880.

Biography

John P. Wall was born in

Hamilton County, Florida Hamilton County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,004, down from 14,799 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Jasper. History Hamilton County was crea ...

in September 1836. He was educated by private tutors, began the study of medicine in 1855, and graduated from the College of Charleston in 1858. In 1859 he was a surgeon at Chimborazo Hospital in Virginia, serving Confederate soldiers from Florida during the American Civil War. On a visit to

Brooksville, Florida Brooksville is a city in western Florida and the county seat of Hernando County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,719, up from 7,264 at the 2000 census. Brooksville is home to historic buildings and residence ...

in 1862, he married Pressie Eubanks, the nineteen-year-old daughter of a wealthy planter. In 1869 he moved to Tampa. In 1871, he contracted yellow fever aboard the steamer ''H. M. Cool'' from Cedar Key while treating a cabin boy. He carried the disease to his wife and two-year-old daughter who died within a few days. He devoted his medical career to studying yellow fever and communicable diseases. He also became more of an alcoholic. After agreeing to give up alcohol he was allowed to marry Matilda McKay, daughter of Captain James McKay, in 1872. Tampa crime boss and power broker

Charlie Wall Charles McKay Wall (March 10, 1880 – April 18, 1955) was an American businessman, mobster, and political figure who was a rival of reputed mobsters Santo Trafficante Sr. and Santo Trafficante Jr. His parents were John Perry Wall and M ...

was their son. Dr. Wall lived on the site of the Tampa Federal Savings and Loan Bank building. As mayor from 1878 to 1880, he worked to increase maritime trade. He founded the Tampa Board of Trade and the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, serving as its first president. He helped lead construction of the railroad from northeastern Florida to Tampa, the settlement of

Vicente Martinez Ybor Vicente Martinez Ybor (7 September 1818 – 14 December 1896), was a Spanish entrepreneur who first became a noted industrialist and cigar manufacturer in Cuba, then Key West, and finally Tampa, Florida. Martinez Ybor is best known for his found ...

and a large colony of Cuban and Spanish cigar makers in what is now part of

Ybor City Ybor City ( ) is a historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa, downtown Tampa, Florida, United States. It was founded in the 1880s by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and other cigar manufacturers and populated by thousands of immigrants, mainly ...

, and helped establish the phosphate industry.USF digital collections
''The Sunland Tribune''. Vol. 2, no. 1, October 1975, Tampa Historical Society He was a delegate at the

Florida Constitutional Convention of 1885 Florida's Constitution of 1885, its fifth, was drawn up by the Constitutional Convention of 1885. The convention was held from June 9, 1885 until August 3, 1885 in Tallahassee, Florida "for the purpose of reforming the "Carpetbag" Constitution of 1 ...

. John Perry Wall died from heart failure in Gainesville on April 18, 1895. He is buried at the

Oaklawn Cemetery Oaklawn Cemetery is the first public burial ground in Tampa, Florida, United States. The location was deeded in the mid-19th century and was described as the final resting place for "White and Slave, Rich and Poor." Oaklawn Cemetery is located a ...

downtown Tampa Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area. It is second only to Westshore regarding employment in the area. Companies with a major presence downtown ...

References

1836 births 1895 deaths College of Charleston alumni Mayors of Tampa, Florida Yellow fever {{Florida-mayor-stub

Biography

See also

References