J. B. C. Drew

James Brackett Creighton Drew (July 26, 1843 – November 4, 1924), also referred to as J. B. C. Drew, was an American soldier and politician who served as the 10th Florida Attorney General.[1]

J. B. C. Drew
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
In office
1874 – Unknown
Appointed byUlysses S. Grant
Preceded byA. A. Knight
10th Florida Attorney General
In office
1871–1872
GovernorHarrison Reed
Preceded bySherman Conant
Succeeded byHoratio Bisbee Jr.
Personal details
BornJuly 26, 1843
Newmarket, New Hampshire
DiedNovember 4, 1924(1924-11-04) (aged 81)
Jacksonville, Florida
Political partyRepublican (until 1872; after 1873)
Liberal Republican (1872)
Spouse(s)Ella A.
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1864–1865
Rank First lieutenant
Unit35th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Early life and military service

Drew was born in Newmarket, New Hampshire in 1843.[2] At some point before the American Civil War, Drew moved to Madison, Wisconsin.[3]

On January 24, 1864, Drew was commissioned as a second lieutenant for Company F of the newly created 35th Wisconsin, fighting with them at the Battle of Spanish Fort and the Battle of Fort Blakeley during the Mobile Campaign.[4] On January 14, 1865, Drew was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant.[5][6] He was mustered out of service on May 17, 1865.[3]

Around 1870, Drew abandoned his wife Winifred (née Ellis) Drew (1848–1901) in Wisconsin and moved to Jacksonville, Florida.[2][6][7]

Political career

In 1871, Drew, a Republican, was appointed by Florida Governor Harrison Reed as the 10th Florida Attorney General, succeeding Sherman Conant, who had been appointed a United States Marshal.[6] Drew only served as the state's attorney general until 1872.[1][8]

In 1872, Drew switched to the Liberal Republican Party and was one of Florida's delegates to the 1872 Liberal Republican convention, serving on the Committee on Credentials and the Committee on Platform. After the 1872 election and the collapse of the Liberal Republican Party, he rejoined the Republican Party.[9]

Despite his opposition to President Ulysses S. Grant during the 1872 election, Grant nominated Drew as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.[6][10] Though voting on his appointment was delayed in Congress by the Radical Republicans due to his former membership of the more conservative Liberal Republican Party, Drew was eventually confirmed by the United States Senate.[11]

Later life and death

At some point after his tenure as U.S. Attorney, Drew worked as a broker for several railroads in West Virginia. He also worked as a lawyer in Washington, DC.[7] He was essential in the purchase of 54,000 acres (84.375 square miles) of land near Horse Creek, West Virginia, which allowed for the connection of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad to the Kanawha River.[12] Drew also owned a home in Ravenswood, West Virginia.[13]

Drew married a second time in Washington, to Sarah Jane Salter (1843–1886).[7] He later married a third time to a woman named Ella A. (1857–?).

Drew died in Jacksonville on November 4, 1924.[6] He is buried in Jacksonville's Evergreen Cemetery[6] and is interred with his third wife.[2]

References
  1. "Florida Attorney General - Florida Attorneys General (1845 - )". myfloridalegal.com. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  2. "Judge James B. C. Drew". Find a Grave. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  3. Wisconsin. Adjutant General's Office (1886). Roster of Wisconsin volunteers, war of the rebellion, 1861-1865. The Library of Congress. Madison, Democrat printing co., state printers.
  4. "35th Wisconsin Infantry History". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2012-08-28. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  5. "Wisconsin Military Appointments". The Daily Milwaukee News. January 21, 1865. p. 4. Retrieved March 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Judge James Drew Is Taken by Death". Smith's Weekly. November 14, 1924. p. 1. Retrieved March 25, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "As to Mrs. Drew". The Oshkosh Northwestern. November 19, 1889. p. 1. Retrieved March 27, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Florida. W. & C. Julian Bartlett. 1871.
  9. Convention, Liberal Republican Party National (1872). Proceedings of the Liberal Republican Convention, in Cincinnati, May Lst, 2d and 3d, 1872: Horace Greeley's Letter of Acceptance. Address of the New York State Committee to Their Fellow-citizens. Baker & Godwin, printers. p. 7. drew.
  10. "WASHINGTON. The Railroad and the Mails" (PDF). The New York Times. September 16, 1873. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  11. Senate, United States Congress (1901). Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States.
  12. The Coal Trade Journal. 1894.
  13. "PROGRAM-ST. ALBANS-NITRO BRIDGE OPENING" (PDF). History of Nitro. November 12, 1934. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
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