In his final message to the state legislature as the war was ending, he declared that death would be preferable to reunion with the North.

A lawyer and politician, he was the governor of Florida through much of the Civil War, being a strong supporter of secession, as well as a slave owner.

[4] John and Caroline lived in Alabama, New Orleans,[5] and eventually settled in Marianna (northern Florida).

In his final message to the state legislature, he said that the Northern Army leaders "have developed a character so odious that death would be preferable to reunion with them".

[6] On April 1, 1865, his son, William Henry Milton, found the governor dead of a gunshot wound to the head.

[7] He distinguished himself as a Texas Ranger, police chief of El Paso, and served for over 25 years as America's first border agent.