Samuel Pasco
Samuel Pasco | |
|---|---|
 Pasco in 1887 | |
| United States Senator from Florida | |
| In office May 19, 1887 – April 18, 1899 | |
| Preceded by | Charles W. Jones |
| Succeeded by | James Taliaferro |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office 1886–1887 | |
| Clerk of Court of Jefferson County | |
| In office 1866–1868 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 28, 1834 London, England |
| Died | March 13, 1917 (aged 82) Tampa, Florida, US |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Signature | .png) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 3rd Florida Infantry[1] |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Samuel Pasco (June 28, 1834 – March 13, 1917) was an American politician and Confederate soldier who served as a United States Senator from Florida. He is the only Confederate private ever elected to the U.S. Senate.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Pasco was born in London, England, to a family of Cornish ancestry. His family moved to Prince Edward Island in 1841 before moving to the United States in 1843 and settling in Charlestown, Massachusetts.[3] Pasco attended Harvard University[4] and then moved to Florida in 1859.[5] He served as principal of the Waukeenah Academy, a school in Monticello, Florida, from 1860 to 1861.[6]
Career
[edit]Military career
[edit]When the American Civil War began, Pasco closed Waukeenah Academy and joined the army of the Confederate States of America in 1861.[4] He fought as a member of the 3rd Florida Infantry Regiment. He was captured in Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[7] Pasco was imprisoned by the Union for the rest of the war. He was released in March 1865 and immediately returned to Florida to resume his post as principal of the Waukeenah Academy. Soon after, Samuel Pasco became a clerk of Jefferson County from 1866 to 1868.[8] He eventually became a prominent lawyer in the area.[9]
Senate and Florida House of Representatives career
[edit]In 1885, he was the president of the convention which wrote a new constitution for Florida.[10] He was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1886 to 1887 and briefly served as speaker in 1887.[11]
In 1887, Pasco was elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida, as a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the Senate for two terms, until 1899, when he was defeated for reelection.[11] Pasco then became a member of the Isthmian Canal Commission, which decided that a canal should be built through the isthmus of Panama. He remained on this commission until 1905.[6]
Death
[edit]Pasco then retired from public life and moved back to Monticello. He died in Tampa, Florida, and was buried in the Roseland cemetery in Monticello. Pasco County, Florida, is named for him.[12]
See also
[edit]- List of United States senators from Florida
- United States congressional delegations from Florida
- List of United States senators born outside the United States
References
[edit]- ^ "Soldier Details". National Park Service. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, June 09, 1887, Image 2". Big Sandy News (Louisa, KY). June 9, 1887. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Sheppard, Jonathan C. (2012). By the noble daring of her sons: the Florida Brigade of the Army of Tennessee. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-8173-8603-0. OCLC 797834655.
- ^ a b "Pasco County's namesake led an interesting life". The Laker/Lutz News. September 30, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ OpenGov. "OB S1 History of Pasco County". OB S1 History of Pasco County. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ a b "Samuel Pasco (1834-1917)". www.fivay.org. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Pasco, Samuel (1990). Private Pasco: A Civil War Diary.
- ^ "Monthly Publication from the Zephyrhills Historical Association" (PDF). fivay.org. February 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ^ "Samuel Pasco: 1866 Jefferson County Clerk of Court and U.S. Senator". ECB Publishing, Inc. August 13, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Florida Memory • Florida's Historic Constitutions - Series Description". Florida Memory. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ a b "PASCO, Samuel (1834-1917)". bioguideretro.congress.gov. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
- ^ Publications of the Florida Historical Society. Florida Historical Society. 1908. p. 33.
Sources
[edit]- United States Congress. "Samuel Pasco (id: P000095)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-14
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1834 births
- 1917 deaths
- Harvard University alumni
- Foreign Confederate military personnel
- Confederate States Army soldiers
- County constitutional officer (Florida)
- English emigrants to the United States
- Democratic Party United States senators from Florida
- Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives
- Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives
- American educators
- Florida lawyers
- People from Monticello, Florida
- American people of Cornish descent
- 19th-century American lawyers
- 19th-century United States senators
- 19th-century members of the Florida Legislature