William Pope Duval

Background

William Pope Duval was born in 1784 near Richmond, Virginia, United States. He was he son of William and Ann (Pope) Duval.

Education

Duval's father was well-to-do and attempted to give his children a good education.

William, however, did not complete his schooling, as he left his home at the age of fifteen or sixteen, and went to Kentucky alone. He spent the next two or three years on the frontier. When eighteen, he went to Bardstown to begin the study of law.

Career

In 1804 Duval began practising his profession. Later he served as a Republican in the Thirteenth Congress (1813 - 15).

A new period in his life began in 1821 when he was appointed by President Monroe as the first judge of the superior court of East Florida. Early in the following year he was made the first civil governor of the territory.

Duval took the lead in grappling with the numerous problems that faced the new government. In 1823 he appointed two commissioners to select a site for the future capital, which was finally located at Tallahassee. Duval then began the work which is probably his outstanding achievement, the peaceable removal of the Seminole Indians to South Florida. He was admirably successful, so that there was no serious outbreak by the natives while he was in office.

While engaged in his pacification of the Indians, he visited almost every part of northern Florida, and in February 1826 made a long trip overland to Tampa Bay. He often urged the necessity of establishing schools, although the results were disappointingly meager. The chief enactment was the creation in 1831 of the first board of education for Florida. Due to his insistence, the territorial laws were compiled in 1828; and not satisfied with this, he urged in 1833 and 1834 another compilation which was eventually published in 1839.

His interest in the conduct of elections was particularly keen so that many of the basic features of Florida’s present electoral machinery were adopted during his administrations.

At first Duval was popular, but after some years the increasing electorate began to regard him as the irresponsible representative of the Federal Government. This feeling of discontent was augmented by his strong insistence on his executive prerogatives and his lukewarmness toward the chartering of state banks.

Prior to 1833, he vetoed all bills incorporating banks, although many were passed over his veto. The disagreement of the executive and the legislature apparently reached its height in 1833 when he vetoed about one-fifth of the bills passed. Under such conditions it is not surprising that Jackson replaced him in 1834 by John Eaton. Continuing to reside in Florida, he was elected one of Calhoun County’s representatives to the Constitutional Convention that assembled in St. Joseph in December 1838. He was defeated for the presidency of the body by one vote, but was chosen chairman of the committee on the executive department.

When the legislature of Florida was made bicameral in 1839, he was elected a senator from the Middle District, a position which he held until 1842. He was president of the upper house in 1840.

His last public office was that of commissioner in 1845 to settle the disputed northern boundary of the state. He was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Congress in 1848.

In May 1843 he took up his residence in St. Augustine, and in 1849 he followed his children to Texas, of which state he was a citizen at the time of his death.

Achievements

• Duval served as the first judge of the superior court of East Florida.

Works

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  • The argument of Wm. P. Duval, on claim of the citizens of Texas for compensation for the property taken from them by the Camanche Indians, since the annexation of that state to the United States.

Personality

Duval was courageous and determined, but also democratic and full of humor. Although only five feet seven inches in height, his cheerful and energetic personality nevertheless dominated in the presence of others.

Connections

In 1804 Duval married Nancy, a daughter of William Hynes.

Father:

William Duval

Mother:

Ann (Pope) Duval

Spouse:

Nancy Hynes