William P. Duval Chapter, NSDAR

A bit of Chapter History

The William P. Duval Chapter was organized May 15, 1957.  We have continued our involvement with Winter Park High School awarding yearly a  scholarship to an outstanding graduating senior. The monies for the scholarship are raised annually with a Luncheon and Fashion Show. Other community contributions benefit the city's Central Park with an annual planting of a tree on Florida's Arbor Day. The trees have been dedicated in remembrance of deceased regents and officers. A commemorative brick at the City Farmer's Market was dedicated with a wreath ceremony and a flower placed in remembrance of each member's patriot, plus our chapter's organizing members. The Winter Park Public Library has accepted, along with Constitution Week Proclamations, all of our chapter scrapbooks for the living history section.
 

Who Was William P. Duval?

DUVAL, WILLIAM POPE (1784-1854). William P. Duval's career started as a lawyer and included some years as a statesman. He was the son of William and Anne (Pope) Duval, born at Mount Comfort, Virginia. His ancestors were French Hugenots, Protestants who had to leave their native land, not unlike the Puritans leaving England. Several of his forebears were attorneys and judges. His early years were spent in Kentucky, which was the frontier at the time. In 1804 he was admitted to the bar and married Nancy Hynes who was the mother of their eight children. In 1812 he served as a captain of mounted rangers in local Indian wars. From 1813 to 1815 Duval was a Kentucky representative in the House of Representatives of the Thirteenth Congress, after which he returned to practice law in Bardstown, Kentucky.

William P. Duval's involvement with the future state of Florida began when President Monroe appointed Duval a federal judge in the Eastern District of the Florida Territory on May 18, 1821. A year later, beginning in 1822 to 1834, Duval served for 12 years as the civil governor there, succeeding a territorial governor put in place by the military. While governor, Duval accomplished many ground breaking achievements, including a peaceful settlement of Seminole Indians to the South of Florida, a codification and revision of the code of laws in use, setting the capitol at Tallahassee, and creating a board of education to enhance the growth of schools. From 1839 to 1842 he was a senator in the Florida legislature. In 1845 he served as a commissioner to settle the disputed northern boundary of Florida.

When two of his sons participated in the Texas Revolution, William P. Duval followed them to Texas in 1848 and settled at Galveston to practice law. Sam Houston was among his clients.

Duval died in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 1854, while there on legal business. He is buried in the Congressional Cemetery. His life inspired two famous writers to base characters in their works upon Duval: Washington Irving's character "Ralph Ringwood" and James K. Paulding's character "Nimrod Wildfire." In addition to our DAR chapter's name, his name also is the inspiration for Duval County, of which Jacksonville is the county seat, and was carried upon one of the World War II liberty ships.

Meetings and Programs

HOME