Joseph Marion Hernández: Hispanic History-Maker
by Rachel Olson
Theater with a Mission (TWAM)
In a year of bicentennial celebrations for Tallahassee, Theater with a Mission (TWAM) is gearing up to celebrate another monumental anniversary. Two hundred years ago, on November 10th, 1824, the first Legislative Council ever held in our then-new capital city convened. There, decisions were made that would shape the Territory of Florida’s future, smoothing out wrinkles left from the transition from Spanish to American governance and defining laws that would carry Florida towards statehood. TWAM wants to shine a spotlight on the man who became President of this history-defining council: Joseph M. Hernández.
José Mariano Hernández
José Mariano Hernández was born in St. Augustine in 1788. He grew up in Spanish Florida, becoming fluent in both Spanish and English. Though he left Florida in adolescence to be educated in Georgia and Cuba, Hernández returned to East Florida in adulthood to run a plantation. It was after his return that he volunteered to join the Spanish military, defending St. Augustine from frequent attacks by expansion-minded American settlers. Despite his support of Spanish efforts to retain Florida, Hernández remained in the territory even after it was signed over to the United States. Hernández changed his name to Joseph Marion Hernandez as Florida changed hands and he thrived in this new American territory. He befriended Governor William Pope DuVal, the first American governor to visit St. Augustine, and dove into the world of US politics.
1822 was a year full of political success for Hernández
1822 was a year full of political success for Hernández. He was nominated to the brigadier generalship of East Florida’s militia (a title that would land him an influential role in the Second Seminole War). He was also elected to be Florida’s first Territorial Delegate to Congress – a position he ran for unopposed. This made him the first Hispanic person to become a member of the US House of Representatives and participate in governing the United States.
During his singular term, Hernández focused on two issues plaguing Florida’s transition to American control: land ownership and relations with Native American tribes. Hernández petitioned Congress to establish new review boards to settle Florida residents’ land claims and successfully raised Congressional funds for key transportation infrastructure, including a new road from St. Augustine to Pensacola – the two capitals of the territory before Tallahassee was founded in 1824. He pushed behind the scenes for the Treaty of Moultrie Creek, establishing a reservation for Florida Seminoles.
Representing Florida in Washington made Hernández a natural choice to preside over the 1824 Legislative Council in Tallahassee. As a bilingual Hispanic man with experience in both Spanish and American ways of governing, he bridged cultural rifts that remained fresh at the time of this early council.
US celebrates 248 years
This July, as the US celebrates 248 years of independence, is a great time to commemorate the first Hispanic member of the US Congress – Florida’s own José Mariona Hernández. Later in 2024, you can make plans to meet this pivotal member of Florida’s multicultural past for yourself! Two hundred years after his first Legislative Council, Hernández is returning to Tallahassee to shape Florida’s history once again, taking the stage in TWAM’s world premiere of Tales from the Log Cabin Capitol.
Lovers of theater
Lovers of theater, history buffs, and audiences who connect with Hernández’s Hispanic, culture-spanning perspective can find him traveling through Tallahassee this fall, visiting community events like the City of Tallahassee’s celebration of the first Legislative Council, held September 7th through November 10th in Cascades Park. Hernández can also be found touring schools, festivals, and community gatherings throughout north Florida during Hispanic Heritage month. For more information on where to find Hernández in Tales from the Log Cabin Capitol, alongside announcements of other bicentennial celebrations, visit Theater with a Mission’s website (www.theaterwithamission.com) and follow TWAM on FB, IG, Twitter, and Tik-Tok.
