Florida Constitutional Convention of 1838
A handwritten copy of the 1838 Constitution or "Form of Government for the People of Florida," signed by Convention President, Robert Raymond Reid, and Convention Secretary, Joshua Knowles resides at the State Archives of Florida. Considered "a secretary's copy" this document is the only known copy of the 1838 Constitution. The original Constitution, signed by all the delegates, has never been found. The preamble to the Constitution of 1838:
Tallahassee Police Department
With Reconstruction and civil rights bestowed on black citizens, for several years during the 1870s, much of the Tallahassee City Council and the entire police force -- including the City Marshal -- were black. Also during this period, the only two blacks ever to serve as Leon County Sheriff until November 2016 occupied that post. But, the era of the black Southern public official was short lived and, with passage of Florida's 1885 Constitution (replacing the 1868 "carpetbagger" Constitution), black suffrage was effectively quashed. Control of public offices became white-only (until the 1964 Civil Rights Act).