John S. Westcott

John S. Westcott (June 16, 1807 – December 31, 1888) was an American surveyor, physician, politician, and Confederate States Army officer. He played key roles in the early development of Florida, and served as the surveyor general of Florida from 1853 until 1858. During the American Civil War, Westcott commanded Confederate forces at the Battle of Fort Brooke in 1863.

Westcott was born into a political family in New Jersey. After briefly attending West Point, he studied medicine in Philadelphia. In the late 1830s, he moved to Florida and joined the U.S. Volunteers as a surgeon during the Second Seminole War. Westcott was a major early figure in the development of Florida's education system. He founded the St. Johns Seminary of Learning – then one of Florida's top educational institutions – and pushed for "a system of free public education" as a member of the Florida House of Representatives in 1846.

Appointed surveyor general of Florida in 1853, Westcott advocated for the non-violent removal of the Seminole, and he and his deputies meticulously mapped the swamps of South Florida. During the American Civil War, Westcott was commissioned as an officer in the Confederate army, first as a captain in the 2nd Florida Infantry Battalion and later as a major in the 10th Florida Infantry Regiment. In his later life, Westcott was a central figure in the development of Florida's infrastructure as the founding president of the Florida Coast Line Canal and Transportation Company, which would dredge an inland waterway along the entire length of Florida's east coast.