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Richard Keith Call correspondence, 1791-1794, 1825-1849.
Amount:
0.25 cubic ft.
Medium Included:
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Chronological.
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Biographical/Historical:
Richard Keith Call was the third and fifth territorial governor of Florida, from 1836 to 1839 and from 1841 to 1844. Born in Virginia in 1792, he first came to Florida in 1814 as the personal aide of General Andrew Jackson and returned with him to Pensacola in 1821 to help set up Florida's territorial government. The next year, he started a law practice there. Prior to his first term as territorial governor, Call served in various political capacities, including as Receiver of the West Florida Land Office, member of the Legislative Council of the territory, and Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
During Call's first term as territorial governor of Florida, he was also Brigadier General of the West Florida Militia and led forces against the Seminoles in the Second and Third Battles of Wahoo Swamp during the Second Seminole War. In December 1839, President Martin Van Buren removed Call as governor following a dispute with Federal authorities over their assistance during the war. However, President William Henry Harrison appointed him territorial governor for a second term beginning in 1841. When Florida became a state in 1845, Call ran for governor, but was defeated.
Summary:
This collection contains correspondence, dated 1825 to 1849, of Richard Keith Call. The letters discuss the determination of land ownership; disposition of the territorial archives; the First and Second Seminole Wars, including the Battles of Withlacoochee, Fort Drane, and Wahoo Swamp; and political matters. Call's correspondents include Secretary of State Martin Van Buren, Attorney General William Wirt, Jacob Houseman and Charles Home of Indian Key, Colonel William Bailey, William Pope Duval, R.C. Allen, and William Reynolds.
Other correspondence in the collection includes translated copies of letters (1791-1794) to the Captain General of Cuba, Don Luis de las Casas, from the governor of East Florida, Juan Quesada; a partial 1831 letter, probably to President Andrew Jackson; a letter from Duncan L. Clinch to R. Jones; a letter from B.K. Pierce to J.P. Crane; and the deposition of John Whitehead before the United States consul at Havana in 1830. It also includes duplicate letters sent by Call and Thomas Brown to Thomas Ewing discussing political parties in 1849. Finally, it includes Call's 1845 acceptance of his nomination as candidate for governor of Florida.
Finding Aids:
Item listing available. 0
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Associated Materials:
For more materials related to Richard Keith Call, see M82-4, R.K. Call Journal, 1861 (.25 cubic foot); M92-1, Call and Brevard Family Papers, 1788-1925 (6 cubic feet); and N2013-5: Richard Keith Call Collection, 1819-1862 (123.87 GB). N2013-5 contains scans of the original journal that M82-4 is a typescript of.
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Florida. Territorial Legislative Council.
Fort Drane (Fla.), Battle of, 1836. Land grants Florida Seminole Indians Wars Seminole War, 1st, 1817-1818. Seminole War, 2nd, 1835-1842. Spanish Florida claims. Wahoo Swamp (Fla.), Battle of, 1836. Withlacoochee (Fla.), Battle of, 1835.
Indian Key (Fla.) West Florida. Florida Politics and government 1821-1865
Added Entries
Allen, R.C., fl. 1832
Bailey, William, Colonel
Casas, Don Luis de las, fl. 1790-1795
Clinch, Duncan Lamont, 1787-1849
DuVal, William Pope, 1784-1854
Home, Charles, fl. 1836
Houseman, Jacob, d. 1841
Pierce, Benjamin Kendrick, 1790-1850
Quesada, Juan Nepomuceno de.
Reynolds, William, fl. 1825
Wirt, William, 1772-1834
Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845
Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862
Jones, R., Adjutant-General
Crane, J.B., fl. 1839
Ewing, Thomas, 1789-1871
Brown, Thomas, 1785-1867
Whitehead, John, fl. 1830
for detailed listing.