King, Ziba

 

FIRST NAME:      Ziba        LAST NAME:       King                       ROLE:    Business

OTHER NAMES:

BORN:                   12 March 1837                   WHERE:                Ware County, Georgia USA

DIED:                     6 March 1901 (Aged 63) WHERE:                Arcadia, DeSoto County, Florida USA

                                Burial: Fort Ogden Cemetery, Fort Ogden, DeSoto County, FL USA

 

MOTHER:             unavailable

FATHER:               unavailable

NATIONALITY:

SPOUSE:              Florida Appolonia Brewer King, 1855-1935

CHILDREN:          Thomas Butler King, 1873-1954

                                Homer R King, 1876-1876

                                William Jackson King, 1876-1878

                                Lloyd Ellsworth King, 1877-1878

                                Ziba King, 1878-1895

                                James Garfield King, 1881-1923

                                Benjamin Hill King, 1883-1885

                                Cora King Burnet, 1884-1950

                                Henry Logan King, 1885-1938

                                Eugene H King, 1886-1921

                                Russell Sage King, 1889-1924

                                John J King, 1891-1944

                                Paul King, 1893-1894

 

PUBLICATIONS

EDUCATION:      Waresboro, Ware County, Georgia (3 months); Church County, Georgia (6 months)

RELATIONSHIPS

PLACES AND/OR GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS OF RESIDENCE: Waresboro, Ware County, Georgia; Tampa, Florida; Fort Ogden, DeSoto County Florida

OCCUPATION, SPHERE OF ACTIVITY: Cattleman; Banking; State senator; Judge of County Court in Church County Georgia; mercantile pursuits; Citrus farmer; Manatee County commissioner; Real estate investing.

TITLES AND HONORS:     First major cattleman in the area (In 1901, the largest stock holder in the state of Florida); among those who funded building the long dock to ship cattle to Cuba; President of the First National Bank of Arcadia, vice-president of the Exchange National Bank in Tampa and director of the Florida State Bank in Jacksonville.

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY: He was the father of eight children and at the time of his death was the largest cattle owner in Florida. Ziba King was a native of Ware County and was the first judge of the County Court of Clinch County. He came to this county about 1857. In 1861 he enlisted in the Second Florida Regiment and served throughout the war in the Confederate Army. Judge King move to South Florida in 1869, locating first at Tampa. He subsequently removed to Desoto County, Florida where he became very wealthy in the cattle business and made his home.

An imposing man in wealth and appearance (6’6”, +225 lbs) his colorful personality made him a legendary character. There were several unsuccessful attempts to assassinate him. Even though he was a Justice of the Peace, he was charged with several crimes.

The year 1878 was one of the most disastrous years in southwest Florida. There was complete failure of crops and the people faced financial ruin. Ziba King, the cattleman, doubled the amount paid to paupers by the county and offered to pay the entire tax of the county and wait six months or longer to give the people more tie to catch up. This offer included the county school taxes. King wanted to make sure teachers were paid and schools were open. By 1880 Ziba King was shipping about 6,000 head of cattle annually to Cuba and was paid in Spanish gold.

This complex man was father of 14 children. He flourished in an era when only the strong survived. The king of the cowboys died in 1901. Ziba King was a large man who cast a large shadow.