Robert L. Summerlin

Robert L. Summerlin
5th Mayor of Orlando
Preceded byAlex M. Hyer
Succeeded byCharles Dennison Sweet
Personal details
Born
Robert Lee Summerlin

February or March 7, 1858[2]
Tampa, Florida
DiedNovember 1926
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Texas B. Parker
  • Elisabeth Templeman van der Hoeven
  • Anita Barbeck
Children6

Robert Lee Summerlin (1858–1926) was an American judge and politician, and the fifth Mayor of Orlando in the years 1885 to 1892.

Summerlin was the son of Frances "Fannie" Knight Summerlin (1823–1896)[3] and Jacob Summerlin (1820–1893). His father was known as the "Cattle King of Florida" named Lake Eola and built a house next to it. Jacob loaned money to Orange County, enabling it to keep the county seat in Orlando; Summerlin Avenue in Downtown Orlando is named after him.[4] Robert Summerlin received his law degree from University of Georgia in 1875[5] and in 1880 served as Mayor of Orlando for 1885-1892 (Histo Bench & Bar Southern California 1909).[1] Summerlin married Texas B. Parker in 1876 in Polk County, Florida, with whom he had two daughters in 1880. The couple divorced before 1883.

Robert later married Elisabeth Templeman van der Hoeven in San Antonio where he practiced law for several years. Robert and Elizabeth had four sons and Thomas George Arthur moved to Los Angeles with their father early 1900s. Judge Robert Summerlin practiced law for many years in Los Angeles. Robert and Thomas moved to Los Angeles in the early 1900s. George and Arthur followed.

Late in life he married again in 1901 to a woman named Anita. The couple had no children. Anita lived in San Antonio much of time while Robert lived near 3 of his sons in Los Angeles. One son lived in Springfield, MA.

Galveston, Texas Anita Barbeck later in Robert's life.

  1. ^ a b Summerlin, Robert L. at PoliticalGraveyard.com
  2. ^ According to a reading of his passport application which he personally wrote in 1909 he was born on February or March 1858, and his brother older brother Jasper, confirmed Robert's birth in an official government letter stating Robert was in fact born in 1858. Letter was in 1917. This was Robert's request for a new passport in the 1880 census he claimed to be 23. He then would have been 17 or 18 graduating from Law School, and 20 or 21 when becoming mayor of Orlando. However, in the 1860 and 1870 census, when he was still living with his parents, he was 7 and 17 years old, respectively.
  3. ^ Frances "Fannie" Knight Summerlin at Find a Grave.
  4. ^ Jacob Summerlin, Sr at Find a Grave]
  5. ^ Richard Lee Cronin, Naming Lake Eola