 Cooley survived the attack and lived for a further twenty @-@ seven years . He held administrative positions in Dade County , moved to Tampa in 1837 , and had a short stint working for the U.S. Army as a guide and courier . He moved to the Homosassa River area in 1840 , where he became the first postmaster and was a Hernando County candidate for the Florida House of Representatives . Returning to Tampa in 1847 , he was one of the first city councilors , serving three terms before he died in 1863 . 
