15th Florida Governor. Francis Fleming received a place in American history, serving as the 15th governor of the State of Florida from January 8, 1889 to January 3, 1893. Born one of ten children on his father's plantation, "Hibernia," located twenty miles south of Jacksonville, he was educated by private tutors before participating in the family's business. His family had settled in Florida before it was a state and had received Spanish land grants. Politically, he was a fierce segregationist and a proud Southern nationalist. At the commencement of the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Confederate Army and served with the 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment, which assembled in Jacksonville, Florida. He subsequently fought numerous battles in Virginia. Joining the military as a private, he became quartermaster-sergeant of his regiment in November of 1862 and earned a battlefield promotion to First Lieutenant in Virginia. He served in the Battle of Gettysburg. While on sick leave home, Fleming commanded a company of volunteers at the Battle of Natural Bridge near Tallahassee. His younger brother Charles was killed in action at the Battle of Cold Harbor in June 1864. During the war, his father's plantation took heavy damage. After the war, Fleming studied law, was admitted to the bar on May 12, 1868, and became a highly-respected partner in a Jacksonville law firm, of which his half-brother was a partner. In 1878, he entered politics as a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee, a position he held for a number of years. In 1888, he was a candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and was elected Governor of Florida, serving one four-year term. During his tenure, the State Board of Health was founded due to the Yellow Fever crisis that enveloped most of the state. In addition, under his leadership, the Florida Railroad Commission was abolished, state revenues were regulated, educational programs were restructured, and a commission was created to supervise state land grants for an Indian reservation. He was responsible for designing the Florida State flag, which has a red "X" on a white background. Henry L. Mitchell was elected as the 16th Governor of Florida. After leaving office, he continued his practice of law. Among his many activities were being a member of the Florida Yacht Club, serving as president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, participating in several Confederate veterans' associations, and serving as president of the Florida Historical Society in 1907. After a long illness, he died in 1908. In 1871, he married Floride Lydia Pearson, and the couple had three daughters and three sons, of whom two became lawyers. A son and a daughter died at age one month, and a daughter at age five, and all are buried in the family's plot with their parents. His father's plantation eventually became the up-scaled unincorporated community in Clay County of Fleming Island, Florida.