James McKay Sr. (May 17, 1808 – November 11, 1876) was a cattleman, ship captain, and the sixth mayor of Tampa, Florida. McKay is memorialized with a bronze bust on the Tampa Riverwalk, along with other historical figures prominent in the History of Tampa.
Background
James McKay was born on May 17, 1808, in Thurso, Caithness, Scotland. He left to become a mariner and spent many years at sea, returning home for brief family visits.
He came to America in 1836 and located in St. Louis, Missouri, where in 1837 he met Matilda Alexander Cail, a native of Scotland, born in Edinburgh, May 19, 1816, the daughter of widowed Sarah Alexander. Some historians claim that James met Matilda in Scotland but her mother refused the marriage due to her young age, so she left with Matilda to St. Louis, only to have James pursue her there. Two notable Tampa historians specifically state they never met before St. Louis.
Matilda’s mother, a wealthy widow, disapproved at first of the match because of McKay’s hazardous occupation and because Matilda was young of age. In St. Louis, Sarah Alexander married a Mr. Cail, an Englishman who had large investments in western lands. Mr. Cail disappeared while exploring the western wilderness, and left Madam Sarah Alexander Cail a widow once again, but much richer.
In St. Louis, the over 6 feet tall, broad-shouldered and persuasive young Scot continued his courtship of Matilda. Finally, the mother consented to their marriage. McKay was 27 years old and the bride 17.
In 1838 James and Matilda, along with her mother, moved to Mobile, Alabama, where the couple had their first four children: George, Sarah I., James Jr. and John Angus.
In Mobile, Captain McKay met the Rev. Daniel Simmons, the Baptist minister who had established a mission in Hillsborough County in 1828 and had lived there until the Seminole War started, when he went to Alabama. Reverend Simmons was an ardent Florida booster and never ceased singing the praises of the Tampa Bay region. Captain McKay did not need much selling on the future prospects of the bay section. He knew that because of its geographical location, Tampa Bay was destined to become one of the leading ports of the nation. So in the early fall of 1846 he decided to go to Tampa.
Chartering a schooner, Captain McKay left Mobile with his family in September, 1846. Reverend and Mrs. Simmons went with him, and so did Madame Cail and Mitchell McCarty and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of the Simmonses.
As the McKay schooner sailed south along the Florida coast, a violent storm drove the vessel upon a reef near the mouth of the Chassahowitzka River. Captain McKay repeatedly swam through the rough surf to carry his wife, the children, and Madam Cail ashore. The slaves also survived the shipwreck, but the entire cargo was lost. They tarried at Chassahowitzka for a time where Donald S., their fourth son, was born August 8, 1846. The Simmons and McCarty families went on to Brooksville but the McKays soon afterward made their way to Tampa, arriving in November. Madame Cail came with them.
Tampa
On Oct. 13, 1846, the McKays entered the little village of Tampa which numbered less than two hundred inhabitants, exclusive of the soldiers in Fort Brooke. The village consisted of a few crude log huts thatched with palmetto fronds, with wooden shutters to keep out the cold and rain. The cottages were scattered over a sea of white sand. Cattle and pigs roamed at will.
Upon moving to Tampa, McKay opened a general store on Franklin Street (Tampa), invested in real estate, and operated a sawmill on the Hillsborough River. He also owned and operated two schooners for cargo transport cargo from Tampa to Cuba, Central America and South America. From 1858 McKay built a successful business purchasing and transporting large herds of cattle.
During the 1850s, McKay was awarded the contract to be the sutler for Fort Myers, which was then only a small U.S. fortification built during the Seminole Wars.
He and his wife had five more children in Tampa (Donald, Marion, Almeria, Matilda and Charles).
Mayor
McKay was elected mayor on February 12, 1859, serving until February 1, 1860. His accomplishments include the establishment of standard procedures and forms for licenses, ordinances and legal notices; regulation of the Jackson Street ferry service, and a rental agreement for the Fort Brooke military reservation after purchase attempts failed. The rental deal lasted 18 months until April 1861 when Confederate troops occupied the fort and declared martial law.
McKay was a citizen of the United Kingdom throughout his life and is the only non-U.S. citizen to serve as Mayor of Tampa.
