The Legacy of the Florida Pioneer "Cow Hunters"

SIXTH GENERATION CATTLE RANCHER AND FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT: JUDGE JAMES E. ALDERMAN FORT PIERCE Jim Alderman of Fort Pierce has led an unusual dual life. A rancher at heart, he is a sixth generation Floridian from a heritage family with 180 years in ranching and farming. In 2001-02, he accepted a leadership position in the cattle industry as President of the Florida Cattleman’s Association. As a lawyer, he became a Judge, culminating his law career with an appointment by former Governor Reuben Askew as a Justice on the Florida Supreme Court (1978-85) and served as Chief Justice (1982-84). He was the 67th Justice of the Court. Alderman is honored with the distinction of being the only Judge to serve on all four levels of the Florida Courts. However, Alderman’s outstanding accomplishments in law do not overshadow his deep roots in the history of the Florida cattle industry. In the 1830s, James Alderman, Jim’s great, great, grandfather was the first of his family to migrate from Georgia to North Florida where he and his family remained until the end of the Second Seminole Indian War (1835-1842). After a few years, the Aldermans left North Florida and settled in what is now Manatee County. “James Alderman’s son, William, is my great, grandfather born in 1828. After the Civil War, he and his family moved to the lower Kissimmee River Valley at Micco Bluff north of Basinger, where he died in 1893,” says Alderman. “My grandfather B.E. Alderman, Sr. “Teet” moved with his family in 1908 from Basinger to Fort Pierce. In the late 1930s, he purchased several thousand acres twenty miles west of Fort Pierce on the St. Lucie Okeechobee County line. He moved his herd of cracker cattle from the open range to his newly purchased land. “When my grandfather first bought the property, Seminole Indians lived on the land and remained there until the last one moved in the 1960s. Sam Jones was the patriarch of the family. He had several children that all worked on the ranch during round-ups. They lived in traditional chickees with an elevated platform for preparation of food and slept under a thatched palmetto roof. Another group of Seminoles lived a short distance away at Cow Creek,” adds Alderman. “When round-up time came, cowboys spent the night on the range in a cow camp under a small shelter with a table to eat on. The camp cook cooked biscuits, beans, rice, and on the first day of camping, they killed a yearling for beef. The cowmen slept on a platform with a mosquito net over their bedrolls. Commuting to and from the ranch was not an option for us cowboys. It wasn’t until the late 1940s that Orange Avenue, the road from Fort Pierce, was paved past the ranch.” “My grandfather, ‘Teet,’ was the brother of Crissy Durrance, my great aunt. His wife, Dolly Parker is my grandmother. My cousins are the Bass’ of Basinger. Dolly Parker’s father, Readding Blount Parker was born in 1849. His father, Streaty Parker (1823-1884) moved from North Carolina to Columbia County and had a reputation as an Indian fighter during the Third Seminole Indian War,” explains Alderman. In 1851, Streaty Parker, his wife, children, in-laws the Blounts, and some slaves moved from Alligator (now Lake City) in Columbia County to Bartow in Polk County. During the Third Seminole War, Streaty Parker was a First Lieutenant in the volunteer militia. When Seminole Indians attacked the home of Willoughby Tillis near Ft. Meade and escaped to Peas Creek swamp, Lt. Streaty Parker, who commanded the militia, attacked the Indians on one side of a horseshoe formation where they were unprotected, killing many. In a report, Captain Durrance said that Lt. Streaty Parker was “a brave and good solder.” One month before the Civil War (1861-1865), Parker, now promoted to Captain, led the “Mounted Minute Men” or “Hickory Boys” to Fort Meade serving under Captain F. A. Hendry. In December 1864, Hendry’s company numbered 131 men. Capt. Hendry, headquartered at Fort Meade (Hardee County), estimated that 4,500 head of cattle had been rustled by Union forces. Major C. J. Munneryln from Brooksville on December 10, 1864, wrote to Brig. Gen. Miller, Commander of the Department of Florida: "Capt. F. A. Hendry’s Company is the most efficient of all. It has done active scouting, punished the enemy on several occasions, and cattle stealing has stopped. Capt Hendry is a most valuable Officer.” LaBelle, Florida is part of the F. A. Hendry family settlement honoring sisters Laura and Carrie Belle after which the town is named: “LaBelle.” (See "Old Papers Belonging to Capt. F. A. Hendry," file in Lee County, Fla. Circuit Court files, 1917, copied by Kyle VanLandingham, February 2001). After serving with Captain Hendry’s company during the war, Streaty Parker returned to his hand-sewn timber home and cattle ranch with a plantation of bananas and oranges, stretching eastward to the Peace River (Contributed by Vernon Peeples, Punta Gorda, Florida). Born in 1936, Jim Alderman grew up in Fort Pierce and spent most of his free time working cattle on the ranch while going to school not yet targeting his dual destiny in law. As a young cowboy, Alderman learned the essential jobs as a cattle rancher, participating in all phases of the operation. He did not ride bulls or rope cattle on the rodeo circuit, as he was doing the “real thing” on the ranch, However, he did participate in Future Farmers of America (FFA) at Fort Pierce High School raising and selling steers/bulls as FFA projects. On Saturdays, Alderman and his sister, Joyce went to the Sunrise movie theatre in Fort Pierce (recently revived in the Historic District) or a second theater called the Ritz, no longer there. When Alderman graduated from Fort Pierce High School, he attended the University of Florida for four years. In his sophomore year, he made an evolutionary decision to major in Pre-Law and pursue law school. “It was a tough choice but my grandfather and father were running the ranch and there wasn’t room for another partner. I went to law school for three years. While I was attending the University of Florida, I met my future wife Jennie Thompson on a blind date. She was working as a medical research technologist at the University of Florida Medical School. A mutual friend from Fort Pierce, who worked in the same lab, arranged the date. We dated a couple of years and married March 3, 1961 in Gainesville before I graduated with a law degree. After graduation, we returned to St. Lucie County and I practiced law as a general practitioner attorney helping whoever came through the door. Two years later, September 1, 1963, our only child, James A. ‘Jimmy’ Alderman was born.” As Alderman built his law practice in Fort Pierce, he fostered another dream: He wanted to become a Judge. An opportunity arose in 1971, when St. Lucie County Judge Jack Rogers left his post. “Back then Judges were Republican or Democrat; now they are non-partisan. However, in 1971 there was no viable Republican Party in St Lucie County, so I met with the local Democratic Committee which recommended me to Governor Reuben Askew to fill the position as County Judge. I received the appointment. Today, to fill a vacancy, there is Merit selection of Judges by the Judicial Nominating Committee that interviews candidates and recommends three names to the Governor. I served as County Judge from 1971-73.” “In 1973, a new Circuit Court Judge position was created and there was no incumbent. A State constitutional amendment re-ordered the judicial system and I decided to run. The 19th Circuit Court is made up of four counties: St. Lucie, Indian River, Martin, and Okeechobee. There are twenty Circuits in Florida and five District Court of Appeals. “I won the election for Circuit Court Judge and served in that position from 1973 to 1976.” In 1976, Judge Alderman was appointed by former Governor Reuben Askew as a Jud