John T. Lesley Explained

Birth Date:12 May 1835
Birth Place:Madison County, Florida
Death Place:Tampa, Florida
Party:Democrat
Office:12th Mayor of Tampa
Spouse:Margaret Brown Tucker
Branch:
Allegiance:
Rank: Captain
Resting Place:Oaklawn Cemetery
Serviceyears:1855 (USA)
1862-1863
Unit:4th Florida Infantry
1st. Special Cavalry Battalion
Battles:
Termstart:October 4, 1869
Termend:March 1, 1869
Predecessor:Josiah A. Ferris
Successor:John A. Henderson
Signature:Signature of John Thomas Lesley (1835–1913).png

John Thomas Lesley (May 12, 1835  - July 13, 1913) was a cattleman and pioneer in Tampa, Florida. He was the son of Leroy G. Lesley, a pioneer Florida settler who was a minister, soldier, cattleman and Tampa civic leader. J.T. Lesley fought in the Third Seminole War and was a captain in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Lesley formed his own volunteer company the "Sunny South Guards", and commanded a unit of the "Cow Cavalry", until he was wounded and replaced by W. B. Henderson. After the war he became a state senator. Prior to the Civil War he owned a few slaves.[1]

Major William Iredell Turner (1812-1881) and Lesley (then a major) helped Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin escape following the collapse of the Confederacy and hid Benjamin in a swamp behind Major Turner's House. He remained there for several days until they were sure the area was cleared of Federal soldiers. Benjamin was then transported to Gamble Mansion. Lesley was one of the original owners of the Tampa Street Railway.

His marriage to William T. Brown's daughter Margaret created what would become a powerful dynasty in business, politics and agriculture. Lesley's son William T. Lesley was Sheriff and a member of the Florida Constitutional Convention of 1885. Theodore Lesley, John T. Lesley's other son, was a county historian and preservationist.[2]

Lesley is buried in downtown Tampa's Oaklawn Cemetery.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Tampa in Civil War and Reconstruction by Carter Brown Jr. Page 12
  2. Web site: Lesley Family . . https://archive.today/20130805023002/http://www.tampagov.net/dept_parks_and_recreation/programs_and_services/INFORMATION_RESOURCES/CEMETERIES/OAKLAWN_WALKING_TOUR/_oaklawn_walking_tour_lesley_family.asp . 2013-08-05 . dead . 2021-03-15.
  3. http://www.tampagov.net/dept_parks_and_recreation/programs_and_services/INFORMATION_RESOURCES/CEMETERIES/OAKLAWN_WALKING_TOUR/index.asp Oaklawn Walking Tour