Samuel C. Watkins
Samuel C. Watkins | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Tallahassee, Florida | |
| In office 1876–1876 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Walker |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Talbot Bernard |
| Leon County Commission | |
| In office 1873–1874 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | circa 1842 |
| Spouse | Mary E. Watkins |
Samuel C. Watkins (born circa 1842) was an African American carpenter, politician, and civic leader in post-Civil War Tallahassee, Florida. He is recognized as the first African American to serve as acting mayor of Tallahassee in 1876 (in a brief acting capacity during the Reconstruction era). This occurred when Black political participation in the South was temporarily expanded before the end of Reconstruction led to disenfranchisement through Jim Crow laws.