Pursuant to an Act of the Legislature approved November 30, 1860, Governor Madison S. Perry issued a proclamation calling an election on Saturday, December 22, 1860, for delegates to a Convention to address the issue of whether Florida had a right to withdraw from the Union.  The Secession Convention met on January 3, 1861 in Tallahassee.  John C. McGehee of Madison County was elected President.  The Convention passed the Ordinance of Secession on January 10, 1861, declaring Florida to be "a sovereign and independent nation."  The Convention ratified the Constitution adopted by the Confederate States of America on April 13 and adjourned sine die on April 27, 1861 unless convened by the president on or before December 25.

Since the Convention generally approved of Governor Perry's actions it made no move to interfere with his administration; however, when Governor Milton took office in October of 1861 and reversed some policies of his predecessor, a move was started to reconvene the Convention.  President McGehee issued a proclamation on December 13 for the convention to meet on January 14, 1862, at Tallahassee.  McGehee expressed concern over two matters:  the state's finances and the powers of the Governor during wartime.  To remedy the later, the members appointed an Executive Council of four men to share the executive authority because they felt that the powers of a wartime executive should not be placed in the hands of one man.  The Convention adjourned sine die on January 27, 1862.

Published in: Journal of the proceedings of the Convention of the People of Florida, begun and held at the Capitol in the city of Tallahassee, on Thursday, January 3, A.D. 1861.  Tallahassee : Office of the Floridian and Journal, 1861.

Also published (with transcription) on the Florida Memory Project's Collections web page at http://www.floridamemory.com/Collections/