Thursday, December 1, 2011
Photo of Purman - about age 52
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Purman the Senator (and solicitor, and secy of state, and judge...) 1868 (continued)
Purman resigned from the Bureau in time for his appearance as Jackson County’s senator at the opening of the state legislature on June 8th. The Florida senate ratified the XIII and XIV amendments to the U.S. Constitution and elected senators to Washington before adjourning on June 19th to await formal readmission by the U.S. Congress. Purman initially voted for T. W. Osborn and Ossian Hart for senator, but the next day voted for A. Welch for the short term in place of Hart.
After the legislature reconvened in early July, Purman received appointments to standing committees on the Judiciary, Finance & Tax, Claims, Militia, State Affairs, and the crucial Privileges & Elections. Now a state senator, Purman finally had the opportunity to do something to promote the rights of his African American constituents by shaping the laws of the state. As a member of a committee appointed to review the state’s Criminal Laws, Purman denounced the state’s criminal laws as “cruel, barbarous, and such as are common only to a rude or slave society” and proposed new and complete criminal law statutes. He also voted in favor of an equal accommodations bill. The legislature adjourned for the year on August 6th.
During the legislative session, Purman received a number of surprising appointments. Governor Reed appointed him solicitor for the First Judicial District (the panhandle) but Purman refused this post and was replaced by Marianna attorney D. C. Dawkins. Despite never having worked as an attorney, Purman was appointed and confirmed county judge for Jackson County. One can imagine the groans back in Marianna rising from the throats of the town’s white population upon receipt of that news.
The origins of Purman’s long-running feud with Jonathan C. Gibbs may be traced also to the appointments of this session. At the beginning of the July session, Governor Reed initially appointed “John C. Gibbs” as Florida’s secretary of state. A couple of days later, Reed recalled the appointment after it was pointed out that Gibbs’ name was Jonathan, not John. It is unclear who made an issue of this discrepancy. Instead of correcting his error, Reed appointed Purman as Secretary of State and he was confirmed by the senate. At the end of the session in August, however, Purman resigned the secretary of state position, according to his resignation letter, in favor of an African American candidate, “believing that the just recognition of our worthy colored representatives can not be disregarded with political impunity.” [JAX FL Union, Dec. 5, 1868] Instead of reappointing Gibbs, however, Reed appointed George J. Alden, a white carpetbagger representing Pensacola. It could be speculated that Purman’s explanation for resignation may have been somewhat self-serving, but we have no other obvious explanation for his resignation.
The recall of Gibbs suggests the handiwork of Purman who had learned the art of removal of officials based on technicalities during the convention and who had reserved for himself that power in the legislature as a member (with Alden) of the senate committee on privileges and immunities. Certainly Gibbs was a surprising choice as he had sided with the radicals at the convention in opposition to the prevailing moderates. Gibbs was a minister and Dartmouth graduate and some commentators described him as the most impressive man in the Florida politics. Reed must have recognized that fairness dictated making at least one African American appointment to state office when blacks comprised at least 95% of Republican voters. Gibbs’ reputation may have made him the logical choice despite his politics. Whatever Reed’s reason, Alden ended up with the office where he already found the assistant secretary of state he had nominated earlier in the term: John Quincy Dickinson. Dickinson was a Union army officer from Vermont who had stayed in the Florida panhandle after the war to try, and fail, in the lumber mill business. Reed soon found an opportunity to rectify his snub of Gibbs: later in the year after Alden supported a move to impeach the governor, Reed fired his ingrate secretary of state and appointed Gibbs in his place.
In October, Reed reversed himself on another matter, taking action to end the multiple office holding he had promoted during his summer appointments. He declared vacant the seats of state legislators who held other offices. As Jackson County judge, Purman lost his senate seat. Purman make the obvious choice to resign the judgeship in order to retain his senate seat and prepared to run in a special election to be held in December.
In the fall, Purman, suffering ill health, traveled back to home in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, “his malady requiring a change of climate and medical assistance which could not so well be found [in Florida] as in our Northern cities.” Illness must be the explanation for Purman’s skipping the state Republican nominating convention in early November where Charles Hamilton narrowly retained the nomination for Congress. Purman told a Pennsylvania newspaper that on his trip North he had stopped in New York where “he partially succeeded in forming a company for the purchase of land in Florida for sub-division among the landless colored population.” There is no further information about this effort. Purman returned to Florida by early December to campaign with Hamilton and both men won re-election to their respective offices in the December 19th election.
After the legislature reconvened in early July, Purman received appointments to standing committees on the Judiciary, Finance & Tax, Claims, Militia, State Affairs, and the crucial Privileges & Elections. Now a state senator, Purman finally had the opportunity to do something to promote the rights of his African American constituents by shaping the laws of the state. As a member of a committee appointed to review the state’s Criminal Laws, Purman denounced the state’s criminal laws as “cruel, barbarous, and such as are common only to a rude or slave society” and proposed new and complete criminal law statutes. He also voted in favor of an equal accommodations bill. The legislature adjourned for the year on August 6th.
During the legislative session, Purman received a number of surprising appointments. Governor Reed appointed him solicitor for the First Judicial District (the panhandle) but Purman refused this post and was replaced by Marianna attorney D. C. Dawkins. Despite never having worked as an attorney, Purman was appointed and confirmed county judge for Jackson County. One can imagine the groans back in Marianna rising from the throats of the town’s white population upon receipt of that news.
The origins of Purman’s long-running feud with Jonathan C. Gibbs may be traced also to the appointments of this session. At the beginning of the July session, Governor Reed initially appointed “John C. Gibbs” as Florida’s secretary of state. A couple of days later, Reed recalled the appointment after it was pointed out that Gibbs’ name was Jonathan, not John. It is unclear who made an issue of this discrepancy. Instead of correcting his error, Reed appointed Purman as Secretary of State and he was confirmed by the senate. At the end of the session in August, however, Purman resigned the secretary of state position, according to his resignation letter, in favor of an African American candidate, “believing that the just recognition of our worthy colored representatives can not be disregarded with political impunity.” [JAX FL Union, Dec. 5, 1868] Instead of reappointing Gibbs, however, Reed appointed George J. Alden, a white carpetbagger representing Pensacola. It could be speculated that Purman’s explanation for resignation may have been somewhat self-serving, but we have no other obvious explanation for his resignation.
The recall of Gibbs suggests the handiwork of Purman who had learned the art of removal of officials based on technicalities during the convention and who had reserved for himself that power in the legislature as a member (with Alden) of the senate committee on privileges and immunities. Certainly Gibbs was a surprising choice as he had sided with the radicals at the convention in opposition to the prevailing moderates. Gibbs was a minister and Dartmouth graduate and some commentators described him as the most impressive man in the Florida politics. Reed must have recognized that fairness dictated making at least one African American appointment to state office when blacks comprised at least 95% of Republican voters. Gibbs’ reputation may have made him the logical choice despite his politics. Whatever Reed’s reason, Alden ended up with the office where he already found the assistant secretary of state he had nominated earlier in the term: John Quincy Dickinson. Dickinson was a Union army officer from Vermont who had stayed in the Florida panhandle after the war to try, and fail, in the lumber mill business. Reed soon found an opportunity to rectify his snub of Gibbs: later in the year after Alden supported a move to impeach the governor, Reed fired his ingrate secretary of state and appointed Gibbs in his place.
In October, Reed reversed himself on another matter, taking action to end the multiple office holding he had promoted during his summer appointments. He declared vacant the seats of state legislators who held other offices. As Jackson County judge, Purman lost his senate seat. Purman make the obvious choice to resign the judgeship in order to retain his senate seat and prepared to run in a special election to be held in December.
In the fall, Purman, suffering ill health, traveled back to home in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, “his malady requiring a change of climate and medical assistance which could not so well be found [in Florida] as in our Northern cities.” Illness must be the explanation for Purman’s skipping the state Republican nominating convention in early November where Charles Hamilton narrowly retained the nomination for Congress. Purman told a Pennsylvania newspaper that on his trip North he had stopped in New York where “he partially succeeded in forming a company for the purchase of land in Florida for sub-division among the landless colored population.” There is no further information about this effort. Purman returned to Florida by early December to campaign with Hamilton and both men won re-election to their respective offices in the December 19th election.
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