Salvador T. Pons (December 23, 1835 - March 21, 1890) was a bricklayer and politician in Pensacola, Florida. He served in the Florida House of Representatives for Escambia County from 1868-1870 and in 1875. He served as Pensacola's mayor in 1874 and was on the city council in 1869, 1870 and 1874. He was a clerk for Pensacola from 1877-1880 and from 1882-1884. He was described as small in stature and was praised by Stephen R. Mallory. [1] He attended the Convention of Colored People in Nashville in 1876. [2]
He was born in Mexico. [1] His father was a White seaman and his mother Maria Rosario had African ancestry. He was described as Creole [2] and "mulatto". [1]
He caught Yellow Fever in 1882. [2] In 1885, Democrats ousted Pensacola's elected officials and the city archives burned. He died in 1890 and is buried at St. Michaels Cemetery in downtown Pensacola. [2]
John Pons served as an Escambia County Commissioner from 1868 to 1870 and as Escambia County tax assessor in 1874 and 1875. [1] He also worked as a federal customs inspector in Warrenton. [2] He died December 21, 1912. [1] A historical marker commemorates his history. [3]
See also
- List of mayors of Pensacola, Florida
- African-American officeholders during and following the Reconstruction era
- John Sunday Jr.
References
- ^ a b c d e Florida's Black Public Officials by Carter Brown Jr. page 116
- ^ a b c d e Reeves, D. C. "Righting the past: Pensacola's only Black mayor, Salvador Pons, is dead at 55". Pensacola News Journal.
- ^ "Salvador T. Pons Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org.