Peter Chester (governor)

File:Bartolomé vázquez-Retrato de Peter Chester.jpg]]

Peter Chester (1720–1799) was the last governor of the British territory of West Florida from August 1770 until 9 May 1781.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MnV9MgEACAAJ|title=Peter Chester, Third Governor of the Province of British West Florida Under British Dominion, 1770-1781|first=Eron Opha Moore|last=Rowland|date=July 25, 1925|via=Google Books}}

Chester focused on agricultural development in the Lower Mississippi Valley.{{Cite web|url=http://mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/articles/66/mississippi-under-british-rule-british-west-florida|title=Mississippi Under British Rule - British West Florida - Mississippi History Now|website=mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us}} Spain controlled the land west of the Mississippi River, Britain its east side.{{Cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/jah/article-abstract/22/1/17/726478?redirectedFrom=PDF|doi = 10.2307/1897052|jstor = 1897052|title = Peter Chester–s Defense of the Mississippi after the Willing Raid|journal = Journal of American History|date = June 1935|volume = 22|issue = 1|pages = 17–32|last1 = Abbey|first1 = Kathryn T.}}

Chester was the area's third governor (fifth if acting governors are included).{{Cite book|title=Peter Chester, third governor of the province of British West Florida under British dominion, 1770-1781|date=July 25, 1925|oclc = 1857630}} He dealt with issues related to Native Americans in Florida. John Stuart was the Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Southern District of North America.{{Cite journal|jstor = 30138906|title = Relations with the Indians in West Florida during the Administration of Governor Peter Chester, 1770-1781|last1 = Osborn|first1 = George C.|journal = The Florida Historical Quarterly|year = 1953|volume = 31|issue = 4|pages = 239–272}} George Washington wrote to him March 25, 1773.{{Cite web|url=http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/02-09-02-0154|title=Founders Online: From George Washington to Peter Chester, 25 March 1773|website=founders.archives.gov}} Robert Ross also wrote a letter to Chester, on August 14, 1778.{{cite web |title=Letter from Robert Ross to Peter Chester |url=https://ir.uwf.edu/islandora/object/uwf:23793 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725165923/https://ir.uwf.edu/islandora/object/uwf:23793 |archive-date=2020-07-25}}

British artist Arthur Devis (1711 – 1787) produced an oil painting of a hunting scene with Peter Chester, his brother Edward Chester who owned Cockenhatch estate manager Thomas Gorsuch,{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} and a clergyman of Barkway.{{Cite web|url=https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=5523255|title=Arthur Devis (1711-1787), Group portrait, including Edward Chester (1712-1767), owner of Cockenhatch, his brother, Peter (1720-1799), Governor of Florida, a groom and the clergyman of the parish of Barkway, Rev. William Andrew, full-length, in a landscape with hounds beyond|website=www.christies.com}}

Britain's National Archives at Kew have some of his correspondence in their collection.[https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7662867 NORTH AMERICA: Correspondence from the province of West Florida; Governor Peter Chester]. 1776.