Francis P. Fleming

Francis Philip Fleming (September 28, 1841 – December 20, 1908) was an American

• The creation of a state Board of Health to stop a yellow fever epidemic that was sweeping the state;
• The repeal of the Florida Railroad Commission, at the urging of railroad baron
  Henry Flagler
  ;
• The start of a reorganization of higher education institutions;
• Adjustment of state revenues;
• The Farmers' Alliance movement;
• The 1891 reelection dispute of Senator Wilkinson Call.

Fleming later advocated adding a red saltire or diagonal cross, a Confederate war flag symbol, to the Florida flag, in order to distinguish it from a flag of surrender (the flag at that time was a white flag with the Florida seal in the center). This proposal was adopted in 1900 by a statewide whites-only referendum.^{[citation needed]} Fleming also began the tradition of having an official portrait painted and hung in the Florida State Capitol.

After he left office, Fleming served on the board of trustees of the new Florida Old Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Home. On December 20, 1908, Fleming died following a long illness. He is buried at the Old City Cemetery in Jacksonville.

Facts

Fleming was the son of Lewis Fleming (1798–1862) and his second wife, Margaret Seton. He was the great-grandson of Francis Philip Fatio, a Swiss-born planter in Florida in both the British and Spanish colonial periods.^[2]

Fleming Island, Florida (an un-incorporated community in between Orange Park and Green Cove Springs in Clay County, Florida, was part of the Fleming family's Spanish Land Grants. The area has since retained the name Fleming Island.

The former governor and his wife, Floride, are buried in The Old City Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida.

University Athletic Field, the original football facility at the

• Fleming Biography Biography from Florida Department of State, Office of Cultural and Historical Programs

External links

• Fleming Family Letters A collection of 113 letters and other writings of Francis P. Fleming and the Fleming Family from 1879 to 1930. Compiled by the University of North Florida.
• In Memorium: Francis Philip Fleming
• Francis P. Fleming at Find a Grave