I represent George Johnstone, the first British governor of the colony of West Florida. I was born in 1730 in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. I was among the younger sons of a well-to-do family of 14 children, and I took the unsurprising route of enlisting in the Navy at a very early age; I was probably 13. I had a rollercoaster of a career – I could be courageous and honorable one moment and mired in disputes (and even duels) the next. A tendency toward insubordination kept my rise through the ranks slow. I was appointed governor thanks to years of leadership experience as an officer, especially during the Seven Years’ War, and – of course – a few convenient connections. I arrived in Pensacola on October 21, 1764. My work was cut out for me – the Spanish had not left me much to work with and I was building a colony almost from scratch. I had a climate that we Brits found relentlessly hot and humid, making us prone to illness; what few buildings existed were in terrible condition; the indigenous nations were in no mood to treat well with us; and British bureaucracy made communications difficult and the delivery of supplies erratic. Still, when I wasn’t making things worse by squabbling with the military leadership over jurisdiction, making political enemies in the Council, and generally letting my frustration run away with my mouth, I did accomplish some things to be proud of. Under my direction, the towns of Pensacola and Mobile were laid out and the property equitably distributed; I made sure the two towns were connected by a road, which was vital in those days; and I generally established constitutional government in a difficult place. I served as Governor for two years before returning to England.
Sources: 3, 14, 35, 43