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established only a year before Webb arrived, and the area was already attracting many settlers. Chipola
Settlement grew from fewer than 200 inhabitants in 1822 to more than 2000 in 1825. The land was well watered by several creeks and rivers, and soon proved highly suitable for agriculture, especially for raising either cotton or sugar. The Florida Territorial Legislature appointed a commission in 1827 to choose a final site for the county seat, survey it, and begin selling lots. James Webb was selected as one of the commissioners. Webbville Academy, Jackson County's first public school, was established in the new town in 1827. James Webb was named as one of the trustees.
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Secretary of State. Webb agreed to take the position, effective
November 18, 1839. He remained there for nearly two years before President Lamar asked him to serve as full-time Minister to Mexico, beginning March 20, 1841. Mexico had no desire to negotiate anything and refused to accept Webb. Unable to accomplish anything, Webb returned to Austin, where he became a member of the Texas Senate, representing the Travis-Bastrop-Fayette-Gonzales district from 1841 to 1844, and serving as chairman of the Judiciary Committee and as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.
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county seat. Webbville became the county's first incorporated town on
November 19, 1828, but it was a hollow victory. The reality was that effectively moving the county seat to Marianna ended the rise of Webbville. The buildings were soon scavenged to erect buildings in Marianna and elsewhere. Before
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announced its intention to move the proposed county seat to
Marianna, quickly swinging into action, lining up political support, even as Webbville businesses were moving to Marianna. Dissident members of the Territorial Legislature pushed forward an act threatening fines for any officials who failed
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There were few attorneys in the
Florida Panhandle, so James claimed about 400 acres (1.6 km) of land near a community known only as Chipola Settlement. He opened a law office in Chipola, and soon took on Peter W. Gautier, already a prominent figure in Florida, as his partner. Chipola had become
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He served again as
Secretary of State after statehood. In 1854, Webb was appointed judge of the Texas Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court, based in Corpus Christi, his new home. He was still serving when he died on November 1, 1856, en route to Goliad, Texas, for a court session. He was buried in Oak
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was related to Webb's wife through the Lamar family. Apparently he had heard through the family grapevine that a very talented relative was coming to Texas and would be available for work. Lamar sent word requesting Webb to come quickly to Austin, the capital of the new republic. Lamar needed a new
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The commission selected an unnamed village as the temporary county seat. It happened that the village also contained Webb's law office and a general store owned by
Colonel L. M. Stone. The legislative council also decreed that the Jackson County courts would meet henceforth at Stone's Store. A year
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and during the early days of statehood after its annexation by the United States. Webb was born in
Virginia in 1792 and spent part of his early years in Georgia and Florida. He taught school as a teenager, worked in the office of the county clerk and studied for the bar. He became an attorney in
109:, Secretary of Treasury, and Attorney General of the young republic. In 1841 he was named minister to Mexico. He attempted to establish diplomatic relations during this time, but was unsuccessful. Returning promptly to Texas, he served for three years in the Republic of Texas Senate (1841-1844).
139:, where he was hired to work in the county clerk's office. During this time he began "reading law," a prerequisite for becoming a lawyer in lieu of attending law school. He served a tour of duty in the War of 1812, then resumed his studies and was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1819.
151:. He had already married Rachel Elizabeth Lamar, and they were expecting a second child. In time, she bore a son, Thomas Francis Webb. Rachel and her two children traveled south to reunite the family in 1824. In 1825, the Webb family welcomed a second son, James William.
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Powerless to alter the events dismantling the town named for him, James Webb continued to work and live in Key West. He and Rachel welcomed a fourth child, Charles John Webb. Webb's term of office would expire in 1838. He then resigned his post and moved to
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In 1854, Webb was appointed judge of the Texas
Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court. He was still serving when he died en route to Goliad for a court session November 1, 1856. He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Goliad, Texas.
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signed the Act and, three days later, Webb was the new district's first judge. He accepted the appointment, resigned his
Jackson County seat in the Territorial Legislature, put his farm up for sale and prepared to move to
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earlier, Stone's place had been established as the site of a U.S. Post Office. In February 1827, an advertisement in the Pensacola, Florida newspaper announced that the village had been named Webbville, Florida.
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The first child was a 10-year old daughter named Mary Elizabeth. The mother and daughter decided to live with Rachel's family until James obtained land and built a house for them.
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to conduct their official business from Marianna. County officials scrambled to relocate their offices to the
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President Lamar's term ended in 1841, so Webb opened a private law practice in Texas.
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the outbreak of the American Civil War, Webbville had become a ghost town.
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In 1823, James Webb moved his residence and law practice from Georgia to
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In 1838, he moved to Texas where he caught the attention of President
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James Webb was born to Francis and Frances (née Walker) Webb in
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United States federal judges appointed by John Quincy Adams
82:(1792–1856) was an attorney, judge, and politician in the
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354:"James Webb and Webbville (Part 2)"
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864:19th-century American politicians
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889:Politicians from Austin, Texas
352:Cox, Dale (February 3, 2017).
320:Cox, Dale (January 31, 2017).
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849:Secretaries of state of Texas
543:State of Texas (1846–present)
859:19th-century American judges
44:Fairfax County, Virginia, US
482:Republic of Texas (1836–45)
410:Secretary of State of Texas
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371:. Political Graveyard.com.
367:"Webb, James (1792-1856).
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373:Accessed January 5, 2018.
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113:Hill Cemetery, Goliad.
227:Peter Hansborough Bell
137:Essex County, Virginia
231:Corpus Christi, Texas
874:People from Virginia
403:Washington D. Miller
369:Index to Politicians
251:Nueces County, Texas
207:Williamson S. Oldham
395:Political offices
247:Webb County, Texas
117:Webb County, Texas
107:Secretary of State
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287:References
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80:James Webb
23:James Webb
814:(interim)
812:Colmenero
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730:Mann
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650:Hogg
514:Webb
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38:Born
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