Albert W. Gilchrist

Born in Greenwood, South Carolina, Gilchrist first attended Carolina Military Institute in Charlotte where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity before attending the United States Military Academy at West Point. He would have graduated in 1882, but he did not because he was deficient in experimental philosophy after three years.[1]

Gilchrist became a civil engineer and real estate dealer before settling in Punta Gorda, Florida to become an orange grower. He served in the Florida state militia until 1898, reaching the rank of brigadier general, when he left to serve in the U.S. Army during the Spanish–American War. He reached the rank of captain in the regular army, before being discharged in 1899.[1]

Gilchrist as the Speaker of the Florida House in April 1905.

In 1893, Gilchrist was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, serving until 1897. He represented DeSoto County, Florida. He returned in 1903, and in 1905 he became Speaker of the Florida House and left the legislature.[2]

Gilchrist was elected governor in 1908, taking the oath of office on January 5, 1909. As governor, Gilchrist prioritized public health. He left office on January 7, 1913.[1]

Gilchrist died on May 15, 1926, in New York, New York. Upon hearing that the former Governor was dying in a New York hospital, the Florida Legislature quickly introduced and passed a bill naming Gilchrist County after him. Upon his death, the bachelor governor left a large portion of his estate to local orphans.[3]

The Gilchrist Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 41 bridge over the Peace River from Punta Gorda to Port Charlotte, Florida, is named after the governor. A dormitory at Florida State University is also named after the former governor.

In 2020, Teddy Ehmann, president of the Charlotte County Historical Society, urged the Punta Gorda City Council to rename Gilchrist Park, of which Gilchrist was the namesake for. In his letter to the council, Ehmann called Gilchrist a "Southern racist" and asked the council to recognize the indigenous Calusa tribe.[4]

Theresa Murtha, director of the Punta Gorda History Center, called the proposal "outrageous". She pointed out Gilchrist's legacy as the only Governor of Florida from Punta Gorda, as well as his role in the foundation of the city.[4] Former cataloger Lynn Harrell claimed Gilchrist hired a crew of seven to eight black railroad employees, adding that "he wouldn’t have had a Black crew” if he was a racist.[4]

• Albert W. Gilchrist at Find a Grave