Albert G. Semmes

Who was Albert G. Semmes?

Albert G. Semmes was a Florida lawyer and Whig politician who served on the Florida Supreme Court from 1851 to 1853.

Semmes was born August 18, 1810 at Sand Hills near Augusta, Georgia, the son of Andrew Green and Frances Herbert Semmes. He was related to Admiral Raphael Semmes of the Confederate States Navy and Senator Thomas Semmes of Louisiana.

Semmes graduated from the University of Georgia and became a member of the bar by reading law. On February 22, 1834, he married his cousin, Isabella V. Semmes. He was appointed solicitor general for Georgia's southern circuit by Governor Wilson Lumpkin. In 1837, he and his wife moved to Florida, where he became active politically as a pro-statehood, pro-banking Middle Florida Whig.

Franklin County elected him a delegate to the St. Joseph constitutional convention in 1838. His bid for election as mayor of Apalachicola in 1840 was not successful. The Legislature appointed him to the Florida Supreme Court in January 1851. He stood for popular election in 1853, but was not re-elected. Semmes then moved to New Orleans, where he practiced law. He died November 25, 1883.