Cataline Simmons
Religious and political leader in Florida
About Cataline Simmons
Lived 1806 – 1883 (aged 76–77).
Cataline B. Simmons (1806 – July 13, 1883) was an American businessman, politician, and religious leader in Florida.
Simmons was born in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1806. He was brought to Florida while he was enslaved and reportedly was able to ultimately purchase his freedom.
Simmons served as the first pastor of the Bethel Baptist Institutional Church in Jacksonville, Florida.
Simmons served as a Duval County commissioner from 1868 to 1870. He and William T. Garvin then became the first African Americans to serve on the Jacksonville City Council, serving on it from 1870 to 1872. He also served as a tax assessor. At the time of his death, Simmons was noted as one of the wealthiest "colored men" in Jacksonville.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Cataline Simmons's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Cataline Simmons?
religious and political leader in Florida
When was Cataline Simmons born?
Cataline Simmons was born in 1806.
When did Cataline Simmons die?
Cataline Simmons died in 1883.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Cataline Simmons. https://biography.guide/cataline-simmons/
MLA: "Cataline Simmons." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/cataline-simmons/.
Chicago: "Cataline Simmons." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/cataline-simmons/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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