Edmund C. Weeks

Edmund Cottle Weeks was born on March 10, 1829, and died on April 12, 1907. He was an important American politician. One of his biggest roles was as the third Lieutenant Governor of Florida. As Lieutenant Governor, he helped lead the state and supported the governor in making decisions for the people of Florida. His work helped shape the history of Florida during his time.

Early life

Edmund C. Weeks was born on March 10, 1829, in Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. His parents were Captain Hiram Weeks and Margaret D. Cottle. She was related to Senator Thomas C. Platt from New York.

Weeks sailed with his father to South America. Then he studied medicine for three years in New York City at the College of Physicians and Surgeons. But he liked life at sea more, so he became a sailor. Later, he joined a boat business.

When the American Civil War began, Weeks joined the Union Navy. He fought in the Battle of New Orleans. He also led the 2nd Florida Cavalry as a major in the Union Army. After the war, he lived in Tallahassee, Florida.

Lieutenant governorship

Edmund C. Weeks was chosen to be Lieutenant Governor of Florida by Governor Harrison Reed on January 24, 1870. He began his job that same day, but some people disagreed with how he was chosen. The State Comptroller refused to give him his pay until the Florida Supreme Court stepped in.

Because Weeks was only meant to be Lieutenant Governor for a short time, an election was held on November 8. Samuel T. Day won the election and became Lieutenant Governor on January 3, 1871. Weeks later asked the Supreme Court to say that Day should not be in the job, but the court decided that Weeks’s time as Lieutenant Governor had ended.

Later life

Edmund C. Weeks had many important jobs in Florida. He worked for Leon County in the Florida Legislature and the Florida House of Representatives. He was also the sheriff of Leon County. He was a member of the Republican party and tried to join the U.S. House of Representatives in 1878 but was not elected. In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison picked him to be the U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Florida.

Weeks married twice. His first wife was Mary Jones in London. Later, he married Elizabeth Hunt Crafts in Tallahassee on June 6, 1890. He died in Tallahassee in 1907 at the age of 78.