John Milton (Florida politician)

John Milton
5th Governor of Florida
In office October 7, 1861 – April 1, 1865
Preceded by	Madison S. Perry
Succeeded by	Abraham K. Allison
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
In office 1850
Personal details
Born	April 20, 1807 near Louisville, Georgia, U.S.
Died	April 1, 1865(1865-04-01) (aged 57) Marianna, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Susan Amanda Cobb Caroline Howze

John Milton (April 20, 1807 – April 1, 1865) was governor of Florida through most of the American Civil War. A lawyer who served in the Florida Legislature, he supported the secession of Florida from the Union and became governor in October 1861. In that post, he turned the state into a major supplier of food for the Confederacy. In his final message to the state legislature as the war was ending, he declared that death would be preferable to reunion with the North. When he killed himself, his son Jefferson Davis Milton was a toddler.