Capt. Francis A. Hendry
(1833-1917)

Died aged c. 84

Captain Francis Asbury Hendry was born in 1833 in Thomas County, Georgia. His family moved to Florida in 1851 and he became a cattle farmer, owning 50,000 head by 1890. He served as a private in the 3rd Seminole War and as a captain in the Civil War, for which he raised a cavalry troop. Captain Hendry helped establish Polk County in 1861 and Lee County in 1887. He represented Polk County in the Second Constitutional Convention and was elected to the 28th Senatorial District of Polk and Brevard County. Hendry was instrumental in the incorporation of Fort Myers, and served on the first town council. He was one of the first Lee County commissioners and served as state representative every other year between 1893 and 1903. He was elected state senator in 1875 and 1877. Captain Hendry was the founder of LaBelle, which was incorporated in 1911. He served as mayor, town clerk, marshal, alderman and minister. Hendry County, established in 1923, was named for him. Captain Hendry died in 1917.

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Francis Asbury Hendry (November 19, 1833 – February 12, 1917) was a Florida cattle rancher, politician, and officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was known by the nickname "Berry."

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