By Joe Marzo
In the late 1800s, Cedar Key, Florida, was a small but growing fishing village nestled along the Gulf Coast. The town’s strategic location made it a key hub for lumber and fishing industries, but despite its peaceful beginnings, one man would soon disrupt that tranquility: Peter "Bud" McMullen.
McMullen wasn’t content with just being sheriff. He had bigger ambitions—he wanted to run Cedar Key as if it were his personal kingdom. With a reputation for being tough, McMullen quickly positioned himself as the most powerful figure in town. Soon, he had a small group of loyal followers who helped him maintain control, enforcing his will through intimidation and fear.
As sheriff, McMullen didn’t just uphold the law—he used it as a tool to maintain his grip on Cedar Key. Those who dared to cross him or challenge his authority would face retaliation, ranging from harassment to threats of violence. His strong-arm tactics turned Cedar Key into a place where dissent was dangerous, and McMullen ruled as if he were a king in his own domain.
But McMullen’s ambitions didn’t stop at Cedar Key’s borders. The era of Reconstruction had left much of Florida in a state of uncertainty, and McMullen saw an opportunity to extend his power beyond the small fishing village. At the time, the federal government was working to enforce new laws in the South, particularly laws that protected the rights of newly freed slaves and re-established order in a region ravaged by the Civil War. McMullen, however, had no intention of letting the federal government interfere with his rule.
He openly defied federal authority, refusing to cooperate with federal agents sent to enforce the new laws. This was a time when the U.S. government was trying to bring the South into compliance with federal regulations, especially those related to civil rights and Reconstruction. McMullen viewed these efforts as a direct challenge to his power, and he wasn’t about to let Washington, D.C., dictate what happened in Cedar Key.
At first, McMullen managed to hold on to his power. Cedar Key was a remote town, far from the centers of federal influence, and McMullen was largely left to his own devices. But as his defiance grew bolder, word began to spread about the self-styled "dictator" of Cedar Key. Reports of McMullen obstructing federal officers and impeding efforts to enforce Reconstruction laws caught the attention of higher authorities.
Eventually, the federal government decided it had enough. To rein in McMullen, federal troops were dispatched to Cedar Key to put an end to his rule. It wasn’t often that the U.S. government sent military forces to handle a small-town sheriff, but McMullen’s brazen defiance of federal law had crossed a line.
When the troops arrived in Cedar Key, it became clear that McMullen’s days of unchecked power were over. There was no dramatic showdown or last stand. Faced with the overwhelming force of federal troops, McMullen was swiftly removed from his position. His ambitions of running Cedar Key—and perhaps the surrounding areas—like a dictator were crushed.
For the people of Cedar Key, McMullen’s removal was a relief. His reign of intimidation and control had left its mark on the town, but with him gone, life returned to normal. The federal government reasserted its control over the area, and Cedar Key went back to being the quiet fishing village it had been before McMullen’s rise to power.
In the years that followed, McMullen’s name faded into local legend. His brief but impactful rule became part of the town’s history, a cautionary tale of what can happen when one man’s ambition goes unchecked. Today, the story of Peter "Bud" McMullen is still remembered in Cedar Key—a reminder of the time when a sheriff tried to turn a small town into his personal empire and was brought down by forces far greater than him.
McMullen’s failed attempt to become a dictator in Cedar Key illustrates the complexities of the Reconstruction era and the tensions that existed between local authorities and federal efforts to rebuild the South. His story remains an example of how ambition and the desire for control can spiral out of hand, even in the smallest of towns.
Sources:
"Cedar Key: A History" by Kevin McCarthy
"Florida’s Civil War: Terrible Sacrifices" by Tracy J. Revels
Levy County Historical Society Archives
Cedar Key Historical Museum
University of Florida Digital Collection
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