for to take up the issue of secession and on January 10, 1861, the measure passed. He took the oath of office on October 7, 1861. During the Civil War, Milton stressed the importance of Florida as a supplier of goods, rather than men, with Florida being a large provider of food and salt for the Confederate Army. As the war drew to a close and the Confederacy was close to defeat, he became worn down by the stress of his office. Governor Milton left Tallahassee for his plantation, Sylvania, in Marianna, Florida. Death In his final message to the state legislature, he said that the Northern Army leaders "have developed a character so odious that death would be preferable to reunion with them." On April 1, 1865, he was found dead of a fatal gunshot wound to the head by his son, William Henry Milton. His death was reported as an accident by his family, church, and the West Florida News. The New York Times assumed Governor Milton’s death to be suicide at the prospect of Union victory and Republican government. The president of the Florida Senate, Abraham K. Allison, was sworn in as governor of Florida later that day. Governor John Milton is buried at Saint Luke's Episcopal Cemetery in Marianna. The late governor’s remains lie in a Milton family section of the cemetery notable for the forty-three graves bearing the name, “Milton” (including the Milton maiden name). Like so many families of the era, Reconstruction was an economically difficult time for the late governor’s family in Jackson County, Florida. Milton’ youngest son, Jefferson Davis Milton (1861–1947) moved to Texas, later Arizona. He distinguished himself as a Texas Ranger, police chief of El Paso, and served for over twenty-five years as America’s first border agent. William Hall Milton (1864–1942), grandson of the governor, was a U.S. Senator from Florida from 1908–1909. References "The Hatcher-Harris Family Tree," Our Genealogy/History Directory, by Beverly & Bob Whitaker, https://web.archive.org/web/20070416082056/http://home.kc.rr.com/gentutor/ The John Milton Letter Book, Florida Historical Society, Cocoa, Florida External links Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida 1807 births 1848 United States presidential electors 1865 deaths 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians +Families Confederate States of America state governors Deaths by firearm in Florida Democratic Party governors of Florida American Firearm accident victims in the United States Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Hunting accident deaths Democratic