Richard Keith Call
| Richard K. Call | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Territorial Governor of Florida | |
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In office March 16, 1836 – December 2, 1839 |
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| Appointed by | Andrew Jackson |
| Preceded by | John Eaton |
| Succeeded by | Robert R. Reid |
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In office March 19, 1841 – August 11, 1844 |
|
| Appointed by |
William Henry Harrison John Tyler |
| Preceded by | Robert R. Reid |
| Succeeded by | John Branch |
| Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Florida Territory | |
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In office March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph M. Hernandez |
| Succeeded by | Joseph M. White |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 24, 1792 Pittsfield, Prince George County, Virginia |
| Died | September 14, 1862 (aged 69) The Grove Plantation |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Letitia Kirkman Call |
| Children |
Ellen Call Long Mary Call Brevard |
| Occupation | lawyer, land speculator, railroad owner |
Richard Keith Call (October 24, 1792 – September 14, 1862) was an American attorney and politician, the third and fifth territorial governor of Florida. Before that, he was elected to the Florida Territorial Council and as a Delegate to the U.S. Congress from the Florida Territory. In the mid-1830s, he developed two plantations in Leon County, Florida, one of several thousand acres. In 1860 he held more than 120 slaves and was the third-largest slaveholder in the county.
He was born to William and Helen Meade Walker Call and was the nephew of Richard Call, a Revolutionary War hero. Call was born in Pittsfield, Prince George County, Virginia. Shortly after 1800, his widowed mother brought her children and six slaves across the Appalachian Mountains into Kentucky. She eventually settled on land owned by her brother Senator David Walker in Russellville, Kentucky, where Call spent most of his remaining childhood. Following the death of his mother in 1810, Call settled near another uncle in Tennessee in order to receive a formal education. In 1813 he left college to take part in the Creek War, which occurred during the period of the War of 1812 with Great Britain. Call was the uncle of Wilkinson Call, who much later became a US Senator.
Richard Call came favorably to the attention of General Andrew Jackson, a leader during the war. In 1814, Call was commissioned as a first lieutenant and went to Florida to serve as Jackson's personal aide. He returned with General Jackson in 1821 to establish the territorial government after the United States acquired Florida from Spain by the Adams-Onís Treaty. After resigning from the Army in 1822, Call decided to make Florida his home and opened a legal practice.
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