Francis Asbury Hendry came to Florida when it was largely untamed swamp and wilderness. By the time of his passing, he had certainly made his mark, earning the moniker “The Father of Fort Myers.”

The Hendry family first arrived in Florida in 1851 when “Berry,” as was his nickname early in life, was just a teenager. They left Georgia and drove a herd of cattle all the way to a fresh lot of grazing fields just east of Tampa. Shortly after, Hendry married and moved close to Fort Meade, and raised cattle along the Peace River.

He served in the Third Seminole War but saw little action. He had become successful in the cattle trade before the Civil War erupted. Hendry, a slave holder, joined the Confederacy and served in what was called the Cow Cavalry, a battalion established to protect cattle from union attacks. Hendry’s battalion participated in the unsuccessful attack on Fort Myers. Not long after the war ended, Hendry returned to Fort Myers, this time with 12,000 cattle.

He eventually built an empire, helping establish the port at Punta Rassa and shipping cattle to Cuba. Captain Hendry, as was his nickname later in life, was instrumental in the incorporation of the city of Fort Myers and served on its first council. He helped establish Lee County and founded LaBelle, named after his daughters Laura and Belle. He also served as a representative and a senator in the state Legislature.

When he died in 1917, he was one of the most powerful and recognizable people in the state. His obituary called him “a man of genial temperament, naturally cultured, gifted with the power of making friends and keeping them; few men in the state were as widely known, liked and trusted.”

After his death, the state named Hendry County after him.