William D. Moseley

William Dunn Moseley
1st Governor of Florida
In office June 25, 1845 – October 1, 1849
Preceded by	John Branch (as the Governor of Florida Territory)
Succeeded by	Thomas Brown
Member of the North Carolina Senate
In office 1829-1837
Personal details
Born	February 1, 1795 Lenoir County, North Carolina
Died	January 4, 1863(1863-01-04) (aged 67) Palatka, Florida
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Susan Hill Moseley (Widowed by time in office)
Signature

William Dunn Moseley (February 1, 1795 – January 4, 1863) was an American politician. A Democrat and North Carolina native, Moseley became the first Governor of the state of Florida, serving from 1845 until 1849 and leading the establishment of the state government.

William Dunn Moseley was born on February 1, 1795 at Moseley Hall in Lenoir County, North Carolina, which is a different place than Moseley Hall on the Northeast branch of the Cape Fear created by colonial official Edward Moseley, to whom he was not related. He was the son of Matthew and Elizabeth Herring Dunn Moseley, who built this Moseley Hall. He and his father were distant descendants of William Moseley, the immigrant ancestor, who came to Virginia in 1649 and built Greenwich near Norfolk on the Elizabeth River in what was then Lower Norfolk County. The plantation house was later known as Rolleston Hall.

Moseley graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1818. He was of entirely English ancestry, all of which had been in America since the days of the original thirteen colonies. He received his master's degree from UNC in 1821. While at the university, Moseley was the roommate of future president James K. Polk.^[1]

In 1822, Moseley married Susan Hill; the couple had six children: William Green Moseley, Elizabeth H. Moseley, Susan Hill Moseley, Alice Hill Moseley, Alexander Moseley, and Matthew Moseley.^[2] Susan Hill Moseley died in March 1842, after the Moseleys moved to Florida.

1. ↑ Moseley, William (2021). Moseley was the roommate of future president James K. Polk. United States. p. 1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
2. ↑ Moseley, William (2021). William Green Moseley, Elizabeth H. Moseley, Susan Hill Moseley, Alice Hill Moseley, Alexander Moseley, and Matthew Moseley (they had three children). United States. p. 1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)