James McKay Sr. (May 17, 1808 – November 11, 1876) was an American cattleman, ship captain, and the sixth mayor of

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa'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 t ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. McKay is memorialized with a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

bust on the

Tampa Riverwalk The Tampa Riverwalk is a open space and pedestrian trail along the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida. The Riverwalk extends along most of the downtown Tampa waterfront from the Channelside District on the eastern terminus to the mouth of ...

, along with other historical figures prominent in the History of Tampa.

Background

James McKay was born on May 17, 1808, in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. He left to become a mariner and spent many years at sea, returning home for brief family visits. He came to America in 1836 and located in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, where in 1837 he met Matilda Alexander Cail, a native of Scotland, born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, May 19, 1816, the daughter of widowed Sarah Alexander. Some historians claim that James met Matilda in Scotland but her mother refused the marriage due to her young age, so she left with Matilda to St. Louis, only to have James pursue her there. Two notable Tampa historians specifically state they never met before St. Louis. Matilda's mother, a wealthy widow, disapproved at first of the match because of McKay's hazardous occupation and because Matilda was young of age. In St. Louis, Sarah Alexander married a Mr. Cail, an Englishman who had large investments in western lands. Mr. Cail disappeared while exploring the western wilderness, and left Madam Sarah Alexander Cail a widow once again, but much richer. In St. Louis, Mckay continued his courtship of Matilda."James McKay, Sr. The Scottish Chief Sixth Mayor of Tampa" at www.tampapix.com/mckay.htm Finally, the mother consented to their marriage. McKay was 27 years old and the bride 17. In 1838, the couple, along with her mother, moved to

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, where they had their first four children. In Mobile, McKay met the Rev. Daniel Simmons, the Baptist minister who had established a mission in Hillsborough County in 1828 and had lived there until the

Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

started, when he went to Alabama. Reverend Simmons was an ardent Florida booster and never ceased singing the praises of the Tampa Bay region. Captain McKay did not need much selling on the future prospects of the bay section. He knew that because of its geographical location,

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

was destined to become one of the leading ports of the nation. So in the early fall of 1846 he decided to go to Tampa. Chartering a

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

, McKay left Mobile with his family in September, 1846. Reverend and Mrs. Simmons went with him, and so did Madame Cail and Mitchell McCarty and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of the Simmonses. As the McKay schooner sailed south along the Florida coast, a violent storm drove the vessel upon a reef near the mouth of the

Chassahowitzka River The Chassahowitzka River is a spring-fed river located in southwestern Citrus County, Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 river is home to hun ...

. Captain McKay repeatedly swam through the rough surf to carry his wife, the children, and Madam Cail ashore. The slaves also survived the shipwreck, but the entire cargo was lost. They tarried at Chassahowitzka for a time where Donald S., their fourth son, was born August 8, 1846. The Simmons and McCarty families went on to Brooksville but the McKays soon afterward made their way to Tampa, arriving in November. Madame Cail came with them.

Tampa

On October 13, 1846, the McKays entered the little village of Tampa which numbered less than two hundred inhabitants, exclusive of the soldiers in Fort Brooke. The village consisted of a few crude log huts thatched with palmetto fronds, with wooden shutters to keep out the cold and rain. The cottages were scattered over a sea of white sand. Cattle and pigs roamed at will. Upon moving to Tampa, McKay opened a general store on Franklin Street (Tampa), invested in real estate, and operated a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

on the Hillsborough River. He also owned and operated two

schooners A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail ...

for cargo transport cargo from Tampa to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, Central America and South America. From 1858 McKay built a successful business purchasing and transporting large herds of cattle. During the 1850s, McKay was awarded the contract to be the

sutler A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts. Sutler wa ...

for

Fort Myers A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

, which was then only a small U.S. fortification built during the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

. He and his wife had five more children in Tampa (Donald, Marion, Almeria, Matilda and Charles).

Mayor

McKay was elected mayor on February 12, 1859, serving until February 1, 1860. His accomplishments include the establishment of standard procedures and forms for licenses, ordinances and legal notices; regulation of the Jackson Street ferry service, and a rental agreement for the

Fort Brooke Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River (Florida), Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native S ...

military reservation after purchase attempts failed. The rental deal lasted 18 months until April 1861 when Confederate troops occupied the fort and declared

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

. McKay was a citizen of the United Kingdom throughout his life and is the only non-U.S. citizen to serve as Mayor of Tampa.

Captain McKay

In 1858, McKay made a contract with the Morgan Line allowing him to use '' USS Magnolia (1854)'' twice a month at a price of $1,500 each run in order to ship cattle to

. This established the ''Magnolia'' as the first of many ships to be used in the same way, and the introduction of Spanish

doubloon The doubloon (from Spanish language, Spanish ''doblón'', or "double", i.e. ''double escudo'') was a two-''Spanish escudo, escudo'' gold coin worth approximately four Spanish dollars or 32 ''Spanish real, reales'', and weighing 6.766 grams (0.218 ...

s to Florida can be traced back to the trading trips made by ''Magnolia''.

Civil War

In the months leading up to December 1860, McKay voiced anti-secession sentiments, believing that rebellion would be detrimental to commercial enterprise. Sometime around mid-April 1861 McKay made a deal with Lieutenant Henry Benson, with whom he had met and become friends with while serving as the sutler in Fort Myers. The deal stipulated that he would provide beef at a bargain price to the Federal troops at Fort Jefferson and, in return, the Union Navy would not interfere with McKay's Cuban cattle trade. He returned to Tampa to find the city was very much pro-secession and offered to sell his ship, the ''Salvor'' to the Confederacy, who declined the offer. Despite this, by the time McKay returned with cattle to Key West, the Union officials had caught word of the deal between McKay and the Rebels. McKay appealed and was eventually allowed to return to Tampa thanks to two other acquaintances from his time at Fort Myers, Colonel Harvey Brown and Colonel William H. French. He returned to Tampa only to be put on trial for treason against the Confederacy. Despite the best efforts of his prosecutor and political rival Senator

James T. Magbee James T. Magbee, known as J. T. Magbee, was a pioneer of Tampa, Florida, the town's first lawyer, and the federal collector of revenues at Tampa. Magbee was a Florida State Constitutional Convention delegate, a Florida State Senator, a newspaper e ...

, McKay's trial was suspended and he immediately made plans to leave for Key West. Whether it was a genuine offer or simply an excuse to leave, McKay asked local Confederate officials for permission to run cattle to Havana. On October 14, 1861, McKay and his 450-ton steamer, the ''Salvor'', along with six cannons, 21,000 "stand of arms," 100 boxes of revolvers, and ammunition, were seized by the Union Navy. In 1863, McKay was appointed

Commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

Agent for the 5th District of Florida by Confederate Major Pleasant W. White. He was frustrated with the difficulties in running cattle for the Confederacy and hired additional men to protect his herds from Union troops, pro-Union Floridians, and Confederate deserters. In March 1864, McKay wrote a letter to the Secretary of War

James Seddon James Alexander Seddon (July 13, 1815 – August 19, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a Representative in the United States Congress, as a member of the Democratic Party. Seddon was appointed Confederate ...

proposing the formation of a unit specifically designated to protect the Florida cattle trade. By the end of spring 1864, this unit, which would become known as the

1st Florida Special Cavalry Battalion The 1st Florida Battalion Special Cavalry , nicknamed the "Cow Cavalry", was a Confederate States Army cavalry unit from Florida during the American Civil War. Commanded by Charles James Munnerlyn; it was organized to protect herds of cattle from ...

was being organized. McKay's son, James McKay Jr., would fight for the Confederacy, first as a captain in the 4th Florida Infantry and eventually rising to the rank of Major in the

End of life

After the Civil War, McKay resumed his cattle and shipping business. He is buried in Tampa's

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 ...

. James McKay Jr. was the 34th Mayor of Tampa from June, 1902 – June, 1904. McKay Sr.'s grandson, Donald Brenhan McKay, was also a Mayor of Tampa. He served 3 terms from June 1910 to Jun 1920 and a 4th term from January 1928 to October 1931 Donald Brenhan McKay
City Clerk, City of Tampa

McKay Bay McKay Bay is the northeastern most arm of Tampa Bay, a large estuary on Florida's west coast. McKay Bay is brackish and shallow with the exception of a dredging, dredged shipping channel connecting key port facilities of Tampa, Florida to the res ...

, the portion of Tampa Bay adjoining the port, is named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, James Sr. 1808 births 1876 deaths American cattlemen Florida Democrats Mayors of Tampa, Florida People from Thurso People of Florida in the American Civil War Scottish emigrants to the United States 19th-century mayors of places in Florida