to the Court, and earned him respect from members of both parties. During his time on the Court, Westcott wrote 267 decisions, more than any other Justice up to that time except for Chief Justice Edwin M. Randall. In 1872, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Thomas W. Osborn did not run for re-election. Westcott ran to succeed him, receiving the Democratic nomination. However, Westcott lost in the general election to Republican Simon B. Conover as a result of the continuing Republican wave during Reconstruction. Westcott continued to serve on the Florida Supreme Court until illness forced him to resign in 1885. Death and legacy Westcott died in Tallahassee, Florida on April 19, 1887 from the same illness that forced him to resign just two years earlier. Westcott is buried in Tallahassee's Old City Cemetery. Westcott, a lifelong bachelor, left his entire estate to his Alma mater, the West Florida Seminary, which was struggling at the time. In part thanks to his contribution, the college survived to become Florida State University. In December 1936, Florida State University renamed the Administration Building to the James D. Westcott Jr. Memorial Building. See also James Westcott Westcott Building Notes References 1839 births 1887 deaths People from Tallahassee, Florida Justices of the Florida Supreme Court Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Florida Attorneys General Florida State University Florida State University alumni Confederate States Army officers Confederate States Army soldiers 19th-century American politicians People of Florida in the American Civil War 19th-century American judges