1830 – William R. Hackley recorded in his diary: Rose before the sun and studied the case of James Fearn and Charles Green until 10 when I went up to the courthouse. The case of the Territory vs Theodore Owens was the first called. Owens was acquitted. The prosecuting attorney entered a noli prosequi in both indictments against Charles Green. In the case of James Fearn for receiving stolen goods knowingly was tried and the jury brought in a verdict of guilty. This was the first case of the kind I have ever defended and in this I did not speak more than ten or fifteen minutes. The court ordered him to be committed till tomorrow and it being near two adjourned. Captain Henry A. Barclay breakfasted with us this morning. He arrived yesterday on the Revenue Cutter Pulaski. After dinner studied the case of Fearn with the intention of making a motion in arrestor judgment. After tea played whist until 9 when Algernon Thurston came in and took my place at the table. During last night the wind came out of the west quite fresh and all day was hauling to the northward and at night was northwest and so cold that I put a blanket on my bed and found it quite comfortable.
1898 – Battery B, 1st U.S. Army Artillery, with 2 officer and 121 men, arrived at the Key West Barracks from Hilton Head, SC.
1907 – The following Key West city officials were elected: Dr. J.N. Fogarty, mayor; N.S. Moreno, clerk; W.J. Gardner, chief of police; Lem Baker, captain of police; C. Knowles, police justice; William M. Pinder, tax assessor; S.M. Lester, tax collector; Charles Curtis, treasurer and J.N. Collins, city sexton. The board of aldermen were P.J. McMahon, E.F. Page, William B. Curry, Steve M. Lowe, Benjamin Tynes, Charles W. Lowe, Peter T. Knight, H.J. Peacock, Dr. C.F. Kemp, Alfred Atchinson and Louis Wolfson..
1968 – Governor Claude Kirk named William R. Abel as interim tax collector to replace the late Howard Wilson.
1985 – Prince Rainier, Prince Albert and Princess Caroline of Monaco were in Key West to see Caroline’s husband Stefano Casiraghi complete in the world championship boat races.
1996 – The Board of County Commissioners elected Keith Douglass mayor.
1996 – Key West native and aviation pioneer Steven F. Whalton died on his 96th birthday. He was the third employee of Pan American World Airways.
Information compiled by Tom Hambright, Historian Emeritus, Florida Keys History Center, Monroe County Public Library
Image: Steven Whalton and pilot Ed Musick in front of Pan American Airways plane General New in Key West C 1928. Ida Woodward Barron Collection. Florida Keys History Center, Monroe County Public Library. https://www.flickr.com/photos/keyslibraries/8501290342