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Record Group Number: 000172
Series/Collection Number: .S 988
Creator: Florida. Office of the Adjutant General.
Title, Dates: Administrative files, 1870-1878.
Amount: 0.25 cubic ft.
Medium Included:
Organization/Arrangement: Arranged by record type.
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Biographical/Historical:     The Legislative Council of the Florida Territory created the post of Adjutant General on February 1, 1832 (Chapter 695, Laws of Florida) and continued it into statehood (Art. VII, Sec. 2, 1838 Constitution; Art. X, Sec. 2, 1968 Constitution). The Governor, as Florida's Commander-in-Chief, appoints the Adjutant General, who serves as his chief of staff.

    During the nineteenth century, the Adjutant General's duties included supervision of the state prison and quarantine of the coast (Art. 7, Sec. 8, 1868 Constitution). Under the 1868 Constitution, the Adjutant General was a member of the Cabinet and as such, was part of the Board of Commissioners of State Institutions. However, the 1885 Constitution excluded the Adjutant General from the Cabinet. The Adjutant General also sat on the State Board of Pensions prior to 1915.

    John P. Varnum (1854-1888) served as Florida's Adjutant General during the Reconstruction Era from 1870 to 1877. At that time, Governor George Franklin Drew appointed John J. Dickison Adjutant General, and he held that office until 1881.

Summary:     The series contains administrative files of the Adjutant General's Office from the terms of John P. Varnum and John J. Dickison. The records document some recommendations for military officers, correspondence dealing with the maintenance of the Capitol, and a letter discussing escaped prisoners from the state penitentiary. The series contains only a very small record of the activities of the Adjutant General at the time.

Finding Aids: Folder listing available. 0
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Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields: Old Capitol (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Florida. State Militia.
Florida. State Troops.
Military administration.
Prison administration Florida
Florida Capital and capitol
Added Entries Varnum, John B.
Dickison, John Jackson, 1816-1902