North Carolina General Assembly of October 1784

Last updated
9th North Carolina General Assembly (October 1784)
April 1784 1785
Overview
Legislative body North Carolina General Assembly
Jurisdiction North Carolina, United States
Meeting place New Bern
Term1784
Senate
Members55 Senators authorized
Speaker Richard Caswell
ClerkJohn Haywood
Assistant ClerkSherwood Haywood
House of Commons
Members116 Delegates authorized
SpeakerWilliam Blount
ClerkJohn Hunt
Assistant ClerkJohn Haywood
Sessions
1stOctober 25, 1784 – November 26, 1784
2ndunknown – June 1785

The North Carolina General Assembly of October 1784 met in New Bern from October 25, 1784 to November 26, 1784. The assembly consisted of the 116 members of the North Carolina House of Commons and 55 senators of North Carolina Senate elected by the voters on August 20, 1784. As prescribed by the 1776 Constitution of North Carolina the General Assembly elected Richard Caswell as Governor of North Carolina and members of the Council of State. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Councilors of State

James Kenan James Kenan.jpg
James Kenan
Robert Burton Robert Burton of North Carolina.jpg
Robert Burton

As prescribed by the 1776 Constitution of North Carolina, the General Assembly elected the governor and the following members of the North Carolina Council of State: [5] [1]

James Glasgow continued as North Carolina Secretary of State (served 17771798). The assembly elected Memucan Hunt (served 17841787) as first statewide North Carolina State Treasurer. Alfred Moore continued (served 17821791) as North Carolina Attorney General.

Assembly membership

There were 55 counties in North Carolina in 1784. Each county was authorized to elect two representatives to the House of Commons and one delegate to the Senate. In addition, the six districts were authorized one delegate each. (Sullivan, Washington, Davidson, and Green counties would later become part of Tennessee in 1796.) Richard Caswell was elected Governor of North Carolina by this General Assembly but did not take the governor's office until 1785. According to a book by the Secretary of State edited by Cheney and published in 1974, this assembly had a second session that concluded in June 1784. [5] [3] [6] [7]

House of Commons members

John Baptista Ashe, Halifax County John Baptista Ashe.jpg
John Baptista Ashe, Halifax County
William Richardson Davie, Northampton County William Richardson Davie - Charles Willson Peale (full portrait) (frame cropped).jpg
William Richardson Davie, Northampton County
Abner Nash, Jones County AbnerNash.jpg
Abner Nash, Jones County

The House of Commons delegates elected a Speaker (William Blount), Clerk (John Hunt), Assistant Clerk (John Haywood), Doorkeeper, and Assistant Doorkeeper. The following delegates to the House of Commons were elected by the voters of North Carolina to represent each county and district: [3] [4] [5] [6]

County/DistrictDelegate
Anson James Terry
Anson John DeJarnett
Beaufort Thomas Alderson
Beaufort John Gray Blount
Bertie Zedekiah Stone
Bertie Andrew Oliver
Bladen Samuel Cain
Bladen Peter Robeson
Brunswick Jacob Leonard
Brunswick David Flowers
Burke Joseph McDowell
Burke Waightstill Avery
Camden Benjamin Jones
Camden Abner Harrison
Carteret John Easton
Carteret Eli West
Caswell Edward Clay [note 1]
Caswell William Moore
Chatham Elisha Cain
Chatham Joseph Stewart
Chowan Clement Hall
Chowan Michael Payne
Craven William Bryan
Craven William Blount [note 2]
Cumberland Edward Winslow
Cumberland James Emmett
Currituck Joseph Ferebee
Currituck Dr. James White [note 3]
Davidson  Elijah Robertson
Davidson  Ephraim McLean
Dobbs William Caswell
Dobbs John Sheppard
Duplin Robert Dickson
Duplin Thomas Gray
Edgecombe Robert Diggs
Edgecombe John Dalvin (Dolvin)
Fayette William Rand
Fayette Alexander McAllister
Franklin Thomas Sherrod
Franklin Durham Hall
Gates Joseph Riddick
Gates Seth Riddick
Granville Thomas Person
Granville Thornton Yancey
Greene  Alexander Outlaw
Greene  Unknown
Guilford John Hamilton
Guilford John Leak
Halifax Benjamin McCulloch
Halifax John Baptista Ashe [note 4]
Hertford William Hill
Hertford Thomas Brickell
Hyde John Eborne
Hyde William Russell
Johnston Joseph Boon
Johnston Kedar Powell
Jones William Randall
Jones Abner Nash [note 5]
Lincoln John Sloan
Lincoln Daniel McKissick
Martin Nathan Mayo
Martin Thomas Hunter [note 6]
Martin John Ross
Mecklenburg Caleb Phifer
Mecklenburg David Wilson
Montgomery Mark Allen
Montgomery William Kendall
Moore John Cox
Moore William Seals
Nash Micajah Thomas
Nash John Bonds
New Hanover Timothy Bloodworth [note 7]
New Hanover James Bloodworth
Northampton James Vaughan
Northampton William Richardson Davie [note 8]
Onslow Edward Starkey
Onslow Daniel Yates
Orange Alexander Mebane
Orange John Butler
Pasquotank Thomas Reading
Pasquotank John Smithson, Jr.
Perquimans John Reed
Perquimans Robert Riddick
Pitt John Jordan
Pitt Richard Moye
Randolph  Joseph Robbins
Randolph  Aaron Hill
Richmond Robert Webb
Richmond Charles Robertson [note 9]
Rowan William Sharpe [note 10]
Rowan James Kerr
Rutherford Richard Singleton
Rutherford James Withrow
Sampson David Dodd
Sampson John Hay
Sullivan William Cage
Sullivan David Looney
Surry Joel Lewis
Surry James Martin
Tyrrell Benjamin Spruill
Tyrrell Nathan Hooker
Wake Tignal Jones
Wake John Humphries
Warren  John Macon
Warren  James Payne
Washington Charles Robertson
Washington Landon Carter
Wayne William Alford
Wayne John Handley
Wilkes Benjamin Herndon
Wilkes Jesse Franklin
Edenton District Stephen Cabarrus
Halifax District Henry Montfort
Hillsborough District Archibald Lytle
New Bern District Spyars Singleton
Salisbury District Spruce McCoy (McCay, McKay)
Wilmington District Archibald MacLaine

Senate members

Richard Caswell, Dobbs County Richard Caswell (governor).jpg
Richard Caswell, Dobbs County
William Lenoir, Wilkes County William-lenoir-by-oertel.jpg
William Lenoir, Wilkes County
Nathaniel Macon, Warren County NC-Congress-NathanielMacon.jpg
Nathaniel Macon, Warren County
Benjamin Williams, Johnston County NCG-BenjaminWilliams.jpg
Benjamin Williams, Johnston County

The Senators elected a President/Speaker (Richard Caswell, Sr.), Clerk (John Haywood), Assistant Clerk (Sherwood Haywood), Doorkeeper, and Assistant Doorkeeper. The following Senators were elected by the voters of North Carolina to represent each county: [3] [4] [5] [7]

CountySenator
Anson Thomas Wade
Beaufort John Smaw
Bertie Jonathan Jaycocks
Bladen Thomas Owen
Brunswick William Walters
Burke Charles McDowell
Camden Isaac Gregory
Carteret Enoch Ward
Caswell Vacant
Chatham Ambrose Ramsey
Chowan William Boritz
Craven James Coor
Cumberland David Smith
Currituck James Phillips
Davidson  Unknown / Vacant
Dobbs Richard Caswell, Sr. [note 11]
Duplin James Gillespie
Edgecombe Isaac Sessums [note 12]
Fayette Thomas Armstrong
Franklin Vacant
Gates William Baker
Granville John Taylor
Greene Unknown / Vacant
Guilford James Galloway
Halifax Nicholas Long
Hertford John Baker
Hyde Abraham Jones
Johnston Benjamin Williams
Jones Frederick Hargett
Lincoln Robert Alexander
Martin Whitmell Hill [note 13]
Mecklenburg James Harris
Montgomery Samuel Parsons
Moore Henry Lightfoot
Nash  Hardy Griffin
New Hanover John A. Campbell
Northampton Allen Jones [note 14]
Onslow Thomas Johnston
Orange William McCauley
Pasquotank Thomas Relfe
Perquimans John Skinner
Pitt John Williams [note 15]
Randolph  Thomas Dougan
Richmond Charles Medlock
Rowan Matthew Locke
Rutherford James Miller
Sampson  Richard Clinton
Sullivan Unknown / Vacant
Surry John Armstrong
Tyrrell  John Warrington
Wake Joel Lane
Warren Nathaniel Macon
Washington William Cocke
Wayne Burwell Mooring
Wilkes William Lenoir

Legislation

This assembly approved an act to require county courts to conduct a census of white and black residents. Other acts concerned the following: [8]

For additional details of the legislation of this assembly, see Legislative Documents

Notes

  1. Edward Clay was accused of theft and expelled on November 26, 1784
  2. William Blount was a delegate to the Continental Congress/Confederation Congress in 1782–1783; 1786–1787. He also signed the Declaration of Independence.
  3. James White was a delegate to the Continental Congress/Confederation Congress, 1786–1788. He was also a non-voting member of the U.S. Congress from the Southwest Territory in 1794.
  4. John Baptista Ashe was a delegate from North Carolina to the Continental Congress/Confederation Congress in 1787.
  5. Abner Nash was a delegate to the Continental Congress/Confederation Congress, 1782–1783. He was also the 2nd Governor of the state (17801781)
  6. Thomas Hunter was deemed ineligible for office and replaced by John Ross after a new election.
  7. Timothy Bloodworth was a delegate to the Continental Congress/Confederation Congress in 1786.
  8. William Richardson Davie was the 10th state Governor (17981799).
  9. Charles Robertson was accused of being a loyalist during the American Revolution and expelled on November 1, 1784.
  10. William Sharpe was a delegate from North Carolina to the 2nd Continental Congress in 17791781.
  11. Richard Caswell was a delegate from North Carolina to the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775.
  12. Isaac Sessums died while in office.
  13. Whitmell Hill was a delegate from North Carolina to the 2nd Continental Congress in 17781780.
  14. Allen Jones was a delegate from North Carolina to the 2nd Continental Congress in 17791780.
  15. John Williams was a delegate from North Carolina to the 2nd Continental Congress in 17781779.

Related Research Articles

Joseph Hewes American politician (1730-1779)

Joseph Hewes was an American Founding Father, a signer of the Continental Association and U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a native of Princeton, New Jersey, where he was born in 1730. Hewes's parents were members of the Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers. Early biographies of Hewes falsely claim that his parents came from Connecticut. His mother, Providence Worth, and her parents were born in New Jersey. His father, Aaron Hewes was a 3rd generation resident of Chester County in Pennsylvania. Hewes may have attended the College of New Jersey, known today as Princeton University but there is no record of his attendance. He did, in all probability, attend the grammar school set up by the Stonybrook Quaker Meeting near Princeton.

William Blount American statesman and land speculator (1749–1800)

William Blount was an American Founding Father, statesman, and land speculator who signed the United States Constitution. He was a member of the North Carolina delegation at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and led the efforts for North Carolina to ratify the Constitution in 1789 at the Fayetteville Convention. He then served as the only governor of the Southwest Territory and played a leading role in helping the territory gain admission to the union as the state of Tennessee. He was selected as one of Tennessee's initial United States Senators in 1796, serving until he was expelled for treason in 1797.

Richard Caswell 1st and 5th governor of North Carolina

Richard Caswell was an American politician and lawyer who served as the first and fifth governor of the state of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780 and from 1785 to 1787. He also served as a senior officer of militia in the Southern Theater of the American Revolutionary War. As a delegate to the First Continental Congress he was a signatory of the 1774 Continental Association.

North Carolina State Treasurer

The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Dale Folwell.

Samuel Johnston American politician (1733–1816)

Samuel Johnston was an American planter, lawyer, and statesman from Chowan County, North Carolina. He represented North Carolina in both the Continental Congress and the United States Senate, and he was the sixth Governor of North Carolina.

North Carolina General Assembly of 1777 Sessions of the first general assembly of North Carolina held in 1777

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1777 met in two sessions in New Bern, North Carolina, from April 7 to May 9, 1777, and from November 15 to December 24, 1777. This was the first North Carolina legislature elected after the last provincial congress wrote the first North Carolina Constitution. This assembly elected Richard Caswell as the state's first constitutional governor.

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1778 met in three sessions in three locations in the years 1778 and 1779. The first session was held in New Bern from April 14 to May 2, 1778; the second session in Hillsborough, from August 8 to August 19, 1778; the third and final session in Halifax, from January 19 to February 13, 1779.

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1779 met in three sessions in three locations in the years 1779 and 1780. The first session was held in Smithfield from May 3 to May 15, 1779; the second session in Halifax, from October 18 to November 10, 1779; the third and final session in New Bern, from January to February, 1780.

John Baptista Ashe (Continental Congress) American politician

John Baptist Ashe was a slave owner, U.S. Congressman, and Continental Army officer from Halifax, North Carolina.

The Hillsborough District Brigade of militia was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia established on May 4, 1776. Brigadier General Thomas Person was the first commander. Companies from the eight regiments of the brigade were engaged in 55 known battles and skirmishes in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia during the American Revolutionary War. It was active until the end of the war.

The North Carolina Provincial Congresses were extra-legal unicameral legislative bodies formed in 1774 through 1776 by the people of the Province of North Carolina, independent of the British colonial government. There were five congresses. They met in the towns of New Bern, Hillsborough (3rd), and Halifax. The 4th conference approved the Halifax Resolves, a set of resolutions that empowered the state's delegates to the Second Continental Congress to concur in the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. The 5th conference approved the Constitution of North Carolina and elected Richard Caswell as governor of the State of North Carolina. After the 5th conference, the new North Carolina General Assembly met in April 1777.

John Sitgreaves American judge

John Sitgreaves was a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation, a United States Attorney for the District of North Carolina and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of North Carolina, the United States District Court for the Edenton, New Bern & Wilmington Districts of North Carolina and the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear & Pamptico Districts of North Carolina.

John Mathews (lawyer) American politician

John Mathews was a Founding Father of the United States and lawyer from Charleston, South Carolina. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1781 where he endorsed the Articles of Confederation on behalf of South Carolina. On his return, he was elected the 33rd governor of South Carolina, serving a single term in 1782 and 1783.

Thomas Eaton was a military officer in the North Carolina militia during the War of the Regulation in 1771 and American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1784. He was a member of the North Carolina Provincial Congress and North Carolina House of Commons for several terms simultaneously with his military service. Eaton was a member of the North Carolina Council of State under Governor Richard Caswell. Eaton commanded soldiers in the battles of Brier Creek and Guilford Courthouse. At the time of the 1790 census, Eaton was one of the largest slaveholders in North Carolina.

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1780-1781 was the fourth elected legislative body of the State of North Carolina. The assembly consisted of a Senate and House of Commons that met in three sessions in at least two locations in the years 1780 and 1781. Each of the existing 50 North Carolina counties were authorized to elect one Senator and two members of the House of Commons. In addition, six districts also elected one House member each. The first two sessions were probably held in New Bern, North Carolina in April and September 1780. The third session met in Halifax from January 27, 1781 – February 13, 1781.

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1783 was the state legislature that convened in Hillsboro, North Carolina from April 18, 1783, to May 17, 1783. Members of the North Carolina Senate and the North Carolina House of Commons were elected by eligible North Carolina voters. This was the last assembly to meet during the American Revolution. Much of their time was devoted to taking care of the North Carolina soldiers that fought in the war.

Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress

The Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress was the last of five extra-legal unicameral bodies that met beginning in the summer of 1774. They were modeled after the colonial lower house. These congresses created a government structure, issued bills of credit to pay for the movement, organized an army for defense, wrote a constitution and bill of rights that established the state of North Carolina, and elected their first acting governor in the fifth congress that met in 1776. These congresses paved the way for the first meeting of the North Carolina General Assembly on April 7, 1777 in New Bern, North Carolina. The Fifth Congress met in Halifax from November 12 to December 23, 1776. Richard Caswell served as president, with Cornelius Harnett as vice-president.

The North Carolina General Assembly of April to June 1784 met in New Bern from April 19 to June 3, 1784. The assembly consisted of the 120 members of the North Carolina House of Commons and 50 senators of North Carolina Senate elected by the voters in April 1784. As prescribed by the 1776 Constitution of North Carolina, the General Assembly elected Alexander Martin to continue as Governor of North Carolina. In addition, the assembly elected members of the Council of State.

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1785 met in New Bern from November 18, 1785 to December 29, 1785. The assembly consisted of the 114 members of the North Carolina House of Commons and 54 senators of North Carolina Senate elected by the voters on August 19, 1785. During the 1785 session, the legislature created Rockingham County. As prescribed by the 1776 Constitution of North Carolina the General Assembly elected Richard Caswell to continue as Governor of North Carolina and members of the Council of State.

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1862–1864 met in Raleigh from November 17, 1862 to December 22, 1862. Extra sessions were held on January 19, 1863–February 12, 1863; June 30, 1863–July 7, 1863; November 23, 1863–December 14, 1863; and May 17–30 1864. The assembly consisted of the 120 members of the North Carolina House of Commons from 82 counties and 50 senators representing one or more counties in North Carolina Senate elected by the voters in October 1862. Zebulon Baird Vance was Governor of North Carolina during this assembly. This assembly met during the American Civil War as part of the Confederate States of America. Much of the legislation passed by this assembly dealt with the managing the state and its population during wartime.

References

  1. 1 2 "North Carolina Constitution of 1776". Yale Law School. 1776. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  2. Norris, David A. (2006). "North Carolina Capitals, Colonial and State". NCPedia.org. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Connor, Robert Diggs Wimberly, ed. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina (PDF). Raleigh, North Carolina: E. M. Uzzell & Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Wheeler, John Hill, ed. (1874). The Legislative Manual and Political Register of the State of North Carolina for the Year 1874. Raleigh, North Carolina: Josiah Turner, Jr.; State Printer and Binder. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Cheney, John L. Jr., ed. (1974). North Carolina Government, 1585–1974.
  6. 1 2 Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina State House of Commons October to November 1784". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina State Senate October to November 1784". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  8. Caswell, Richard; Blount, William (1784). "Laws of North Carolina, 1784" (PDF). carolana.com. Retrieved November 14, 2019.