Robert Raymond Reid (September 8, 1789 – July 1, 1841) was the fourth territorial

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

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 ...

. Earlier in his career he was a Representative from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and held several

judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

positions. Robert Reid was born in Prince William Parish, Beaufort District,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, in 1789. He was educated at the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

and studied and practiced law in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

. Reid began public service at age 27 as a judge and later served Georgia as an at-large Representative from

to the 15th, 16th, and 17th

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

es and served from February 18, 1819, to March 3, 1823. He also held several

positions including judge in the superior court of Georgia, circuit court judge for Middle Georgia, city judge for

. In May 1832, he was appointed United States judge for the district of East Florida by

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. Reid's life was marked by personal tragedy. He married three times, was widowed twice and lost numerous children and grandchildren. With his first wife Anna Margaret McClaws, whom he married in 1811, Reid had five children: Janet, James, Florida, Rosalie, and Robert Raymond III. Anna Margaret McClaws died in 1825. Children Janet and James both drowned in a sailing accident in 1839. His second marriage was to Elizabeth Napier D. Randolph in 1829. She died in childbirth in 1832. In 1836, he married Mary Martha Reid, who later became known for her nursing work 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 ...

. They had two sons, William and Reymond "Jenks." U.S. President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

appointed Reid governor of Florida in December 1839. Reid presided at the convention that drafted Florida's first constitution and advocated a vigorous prosecution of the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...

. He died at his home in Blackwood near

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

, on July 1, 1841, a victim of a yellow fever

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...

. His granddaughter Rebecca Black and her daughter Janet Black were also victims of the 1841 yellow fever epidemic that struck Florida's Panhandle.

References

Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida

External links

Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Robert R. 1789 births 1841 deaths University of South Carolina alumni American people of Scottish descent American slave owners Governors of Florida Territory Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers People from Beaufort, South Carolina Politicians from Augusta, Georgia Deaths from yellow fever Infectious disease deaths in Florida Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) 19th-century Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives