Military officer; born in
Trinidad,
West Indies, in 1813; was the son of a sea-captain of
Bridgeport, Conn., who died in
Key West in 1821.
He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in
Key West in 1833.
He was appointed inspector of customs.
there, and a judge, and in 1845 was made
[
80]
collector of customs in the same place.
From 1851 to 1861 he was
United States Senator from
Florida; and, on the organization of the Confederate government in February, 1861, he was appointed
Secretary of the Navy.
At the close of the war he was a state prisoner for some time, and after his release on parole practised law till his death, in
Pensacola, Nov. 9, 1873.