Samuel Pasco | |
|---|---|
 Pasco in 1887 | |
| United States Senator fromFlorida | |
| In office May 19, 1887 – April 18, 1899 | |
| Preceded by | Charles W. Jones |
| Succeeded by | James Taliaferro |
| Member of theFlorida House of Representatives | |
| In office 1886–1887 | |
| Clerk of Court ofJefferson County | |
| In office 1866–1868 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1834-06-28)June 28, 1834 London,England |
| Died | March 13, 1917(1917-03-13) (aged 82) Tampa,Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Signature | .png) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States |
| Branch/service |  Confederate States Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | .svg) 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 aU.S. Senator fromFlorida. He is the only Confederate private ever elected to the U.S. Senate.[2]
Pasco was born inLondon, England, to a family ofCornish ancestry. His family moved toPrince Edward Island in 1841 before moving to the United States in 1843 and settling inCharlestown, Massachusetts.[3] Pasco attendedHarvard University and then moved to Florida in 1859. He served as principal of the Waukeenah Academy, a school inMonticello, Florida, from 1860 to 1861.
When theAmerican Civil War began, though he had only lived in the South for two years, Pasco joined thearmy of theConfederate States of America. He fought as a member of the3rd Florida Infantry Regiment. He was captured inMississippi and imprisoned by the United States 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. He resigned from that position in 1866 but remained in Florida, serving as clerk ofJefferson County from 1866 to 1868. He eventually became a prominent lawyer in the area.
In 1885, he was the president of theconvention which wrote a newconstitution for Florida. He was a member of theFlorida House of Representatives from 1886 to 1887 and briefly served asspeaker in 1887.
In 1887, Pasco was elected to theU.S. Senate from Florida, as a member of theDemocratic Party. He served in the Senate for two terms, until 1899, when he was defeated for reelection. He then became a member of theIsthmian Canal Commission, which decided that a canal should be built through the isthmus ofPanama. He remained on this commission until 1905, when work on thecanal began.
Pasco then retired from public life and moved back to Monticello. He died inTampa, Florida, and was buried in the Roseland cemetery in Monticello.Pasco County, Florida, is named for him.[4]
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Florida 1887–1899 Served alongside:Wilkinson Call,Stephen R. Mallory | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
