John Constantine Williams, Sr. (died 1892) was the cofounder of

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

, with Captain Peter Demens. Williams Park is named for him.

Biography

Williams came from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, and purchased the land in the area of what became

, in 1876. Williams suffered from

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

and moved to Florida for his health. He lived in

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 ...

until 1887 when a yellow fever epidemic chased him across

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 ...

. Peter Demens (born Pyotr Alexeyevitch Dementyev) was instrumental in bringing the terminus of a railroad to the area in 1888. Williams transferred part of his land holdings to the Russian exile in return for Demens extending his

Orange Belt Railway The Orange Belt Railway (later known as the Sanford & St. Petersburg Railroad) was a narrow gauge railroad established in 1885 by Russian exile Peter Demens in Florida. It was one of the longest narrow gauge railroads in the United States at t ...

line from

Sanford, Florida Sanford is a city and the county seat of Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is located in Central Florida and its population was 61,051 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical ...

, west to

Tarpon Springs Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. Downtown Tarpon Springs has long been a focal point and underwent beautification in 2010. It is part of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 25,117 at the 2020 census. As of ...

and then south along the Gulf coast to Williams's settlement. Williams agreed to let Demens name the settlement and the first train arrived in 1888. The town's population was 30 people but rose quickly after to about 270 by the 1890 census. St. Petersburg was incorporated on February 29, 1892, the same year Williams died. It had a population of approximately 300 people. It was named after

Saint Petersburg, Russia Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, where Peter Demens had spent half of his youth. A legend says that John C. Williams and Peter Demens flipped a coin to see who would have the honor of naming the city. Peter Demens is said to have won and named the city after his childhood home, while John C. Williams named the first hotel (built by Demens) after his birthplace of Detroit. The Detroit Hotel still exists downtown after a conversion into condominiums. The oldest running hotels are the historic Pier Hotel, built in 1921, formally Hotel Cordova and The Heritage Hotel, built in 1926. Demens died in 1919. Williams had a Queen Anne-style Victorian house constructed in 1891 at 444 Fifth Avenue South. It was moved to the campus of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg in 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John Constantine, Sr. People from Detroit 1892 deaths