George Mercer Brooke

George Mercer Brooke (October 16, 1785 – March 9, 1851) was a brevet major general in the U.S. Army. While a colonel, Brooke was ordered in 1823, along with James Gadsden, to establish a military presence in the vicinity of Tampa Bay, in the newly acquired Florida Territory. Objectives included containing the Seminole Indians and curtailing illegal activities along the Gulf Coast. Background Brooke was born in King William County, Virginia, to Richard Brooke (1760–1816), a planter and state senator, and Maria Mercer Brooke (1761-?). He married Lucy Thomas Brooke (1804–1839) and fathered John Mercer Brooke (1826–1906).