James Gamble Speer (June 23, 1820 - October 31, 1893) was a judge and state legislator in Florida.[1] He was a founder of Oakland, Florida.[2] He served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate. He was also a delegate to Florida's 1885 Constutional Convention. He was a Democrat.[3]

In 1879 he represented Orange County, Florida in the Florida Senate. His post office was in Oakland, Florida.[4]

He was born in Abbeville, South Carolina[5] and came to Florida as a member of the Indian Removal Commission of 1854.[6]

He advocated for a canal between Lake Apopka and Lake Dora.[7]

Speer Park and Speer Avenue in Oakland are named for him.[6][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Death of a Prominent Floridian". The Pensacola News. 1893-11-03. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  2. ^ Mather-Smith, Grace (24 October 2018). My Darlings: A Memoir. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780761870845.
  3. ^ https://www.floridamemory.com/fmp/territorial-legislative/PeopleOfLawmaking.pdf
  4. ^ General Acts and Resolutions Adopted by the Legislature of Florida. Office of the Floridian and Journal. 1879.
  5. ^ Cutler, Harry Gardner (1923). "History of Florida: Past and Present, Historical and Biographical".
  6. ^ a b "The history behind Oakland's streets". 6 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Orange County Sheriff's Office Orlando, Florida". Turner Publishing Company. November 8, 1994 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "SPEER DESCENDANTS SHARE STORY ON NAMING OF ORLANDO". April 5, 1998.