Jacob Summerlin Biography

Jacob Summerlin

Summerlin built a cattle empire in central Florida in the 1850s and during the Civil War supplied beef to the Confederate Army. He made his fortune during the war by selling cattle to Cuba, which involved evading the Union's naval blockade. He eventually became one of the richest men in the state and was dubbed the “cattle king of Florida.” In 1873 he moved to Orlando and eventually owned vast tracks of land in Barlow and Polk counties. He was a generous philanthropist who donated money and property to various civic causes in Florida.