John Wallace (c. 1842 – November 25, 1908) was a teacher, lawyer, political leader and

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

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 ...

. Wallace served in the Union Army after being freed by federal soldiers during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He served in the Florida Legislature during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

. He also became a lawyer and argued cases before the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

. He putatively wrote " Carpet-Bag Rule in Florida: The Inside Workings of Civil Government in Florida After the Close of the Civil War". At the time of his death, he had held public office longer than any other African-American elected official.

Early life and freedom

Wallace was born in

Gates County, North Carolina Gates County is a County (United States), county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of North Carolina, on the border with Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 10,478, making it the Li ...

in 1842. His early life was spent in slavery. In February 1862, he was freed by Federal troops passing through the area.

Civil War era

He enlisted in the 2nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment on August 15, 1863.Wakefield, Laura Wallis. ''"Set a Light in a Dark Place" Teachers of Freedmen in Florida 1863 - 1864.'' page 25. Online. August 5, 2008.
/ref> He trained at Camp Casey . In December 1863, his unit was assigned to

Ship Island, Mississippi Ship Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. Hurricane Camille split the island into two separate islands (West Ship Island and East Ship Island) in 1969. In early 2019, ...

. On February 13, 1864, Wallace travelled with his regiment to

Key West, Florida Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...

. In April 1864 two companies of the 2nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment were transferred from Key West to Fort Myers. The two companies participated in many actions in southwest Florida during the remainder of the year, as far north as

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 ...

. On February 20, 1865, Confederate forces attacked Fort Myers, precipitating the Battle of Fort Myers. Wallace was wounded in that battle. An exploding cannonball threw dirt into his eyes, causing injuries that would plague him throughout his life. Wallace's outfit joined the Union force blockading

Apalachee Bay Apalachee Bay is a bay in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico occupying an indentation of the Florida coast to the west of where the Florida peninsula joins the United States mainland. It is bordered by Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla, and Franklin ...

. They landed near St. Marks on March 4, 1865 and marched on Tallahassee, in time to take part in the debacle at the

Battle of Natural Bridge The Battle of Natural Bridge was fought during the American Civil War in what is now Woodville, Florida near Tallahassee on March 6, 1865. A small group of Confederate troops and volunteers, which included teenagers from the nearby Florida Mi ...

. Walker and the regiment would not reach Tallahassee until August 9, 1865.

Teaching in Tallahassee

On leaving the service in January 1866, Wallace chose to remain in the Tallahassee area and became a protégé of Florida politician and planter William D. Bloxham. who gave Wallace a job teaching freed slaves at a school he set up on his plantation. The school and Wallace received high praise from a local paper. In 1868, he served as a page at the Florida Constitutional Convention.

Political career

After the Convention, he was elected

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

of Leon County and joined the

Republican Party of Florida The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Florida. It is currently the state's dominant party, controlling 20 out of 28 of Florida's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, the g ...

, and became advocate for the rights of African-Americans. He served as constable for two years before being elected to the legislature. In 1870, he was elected to the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

He was re-elected in 1872, despite a propensity for public violence. In 1874, he was elected to the

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the C ...

and became a lawyer. He was photographed on the steps of the

Florida Capitol The Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, is an architecturally and historically significant building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Capitol is at the intersection of Apalachee Parkway and South Monroe Street ...

with other legislators. He made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 1876. In 1878, his bid for re-election was unsuccessful. However, he was seated by the Senate after alleging fraud.

Post Reconstruction

In 1877, the federal occupation ended, with profound consequences for African Americans and for the

Florida Republican Party The Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Florida. It is currently the state's dominant party, controlling 20 out of 28 of Florida's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, the go ...

. Blacks were systematically disenfranchised, and Florida would not see another Republican governor until

Claude R. Kirk, Jr. Claude Roy Kirk Jr. (January 7, 1926 – September 28, 2011) was an American businessman, politician, and Marine Corps veteran who served as the 36th governor of Florida from 1967 to 1971. A member of the Republican Party for most his career, ...

in 1967. Democrats regained control of the legislature. Black Republicans, including Wallace, became increasingly disillusioned. Wallace helped lead the Florida independent movement, and ran unsuccessfully as an Independent in the 1882 race for the state senate. In 1884, he supported Independent Frank Pope in the gubernatorial race with great optimism, but Black and liberal white voters were no longer strong enough to win elections in Florida. Wallace again ran for the Senate, but finished thirteenth. He was appointed a Customs House inspector in Key West for $2 per day, but was replaced in 1885, following the election of U.S. President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

. He left Key West and opened a law practice in Jacksonville. He argued a number of cases before the

. ''Carpet-Bag Rule in Florida'' was published in 1888, just before the election of that year. The book portrays the Republican Party as abusing, for political ends, the allegedly misplaced trust of Blacks, whose true friends, according to the book, were the Democrats. Questions have been raised as to whether Wallace actually authored the book, and whether it was written instead by Wallace's old mentor, Bloxham. Critics feel that whoever wrote it, it was heavily influenced by and advantageous to Bloxham. Certainly Wallace had been embittered by his experiences as a Republican, and the book captured those sentiments. Hailed as a vigorous exposé after publication, in more recent years its authority and authenticity have come under doubt. The book had little effect on Wallace. He continued to practice law and eschewed politics. Between 1891 and 1904, he won four of eleven appeals before the Florida Supreme Court. Wallace died on November 25, 1908, in Jacksonville, at the age of sixty-three.

References

Sources

*Clark, James C. "John Wallace and the Writing of Reconstruction History." in ''The Florida Historical Quarterly.'' April 1988. 409 - 427. The Florida Historical Society.