He beat Richard Keith Call, who had been the governor of Florida Territory, making Moseley the first governor of the state of Florida. Moseley was sworn in on June 25, 1845. During his term, he established the new state government. The state Capitol building was completed during his first year in office. Moseley oversaw the state's role in the Mexican–American War. Southern states supported the war with troops as they saw it as an opportunity to gain territory where slavery could be used. Moseley worked to resolve conflicts between white settlers and Seminole Indians. He also encouraged agriculture, supporting new citrus, avocado, tobacco, and cotton industries. During his administration, the federal government built Fort Jefferson, on one of the coral keys off the southern Florida coast, and Fort Clinch on Amelia Island, near modern-day Fernandina Beach, Florida. Moseley was a strong supporter of states' rights. He favored the establishment of state-funded public schools. Constitutionally limited to a single term, Moseley returned to his plantation after ending his term on October 1, 1849. Two years later, he settled in the town of Palatka in Putnam County, where he operated a citrus grove. Moseley died on January 4, 1863, and was buried at the West View Cemetery in Palatka. After his death, his daughters commissioned a portrait to be painted from a daguerreotype. They presented the portrait to be hung in a state portrait gallery at the Florida References External links Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida 1795 births 1863 deaths Democratic Party governors of Florida North Carolina state senators People from Palatka, Florida 19th-century American politicians