Charles Manly Stedman (January 29, 1841 – September 23, 1930) was a politician and lawyer from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. He served ten terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1911 to 1930 and was the last veteran of either side of the Civil War to hold a seat in Congress.

Biography

Born in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Stedman moved to

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-Ameri ...

with his parents in 1853 where he attended Pittsboro and Donaldson Academies and graduated from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

in 1861, where he was a member of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

he enlisted as a

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in the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry Company; part of the Confederate 1st North Carolina "Bethel Regiment. He later was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of the 44th North Carolina Infantry. Afterwards, Stedman returned to

Chatham County, North Carolina Chatham County ( )
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Car ...

and taught school in Pittsboro for one year. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1865, commencing practice in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

Politics

Stedman first got involved in politics as a delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention, which nominated Winfield Scott Hancock and William Hayden English for

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

. He was elected the fifth Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in 1884, serving from 1885 to 1889, and unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

in 1888. He moved to

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

in 1891 and to

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

in 1898, continuing to practice law. Stedman served as a trustee of the University of North Carolina from 1899 to 1915, was president of the North Carolina Bar Association from 1900 to 1901, was again an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of North Carolina in 1903-04, and was director and president of the North Carolina Railroad from 1909 to 1910.

Congress

Stedman was elected a Democrat to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in 1910 and was reelected to the seat in 1912, 1914, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1924, 1926 and 1928, serving until his death in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

on September 23, 1930, the last veteran of the Civil War, either Union or

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

, to serve in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

. In 1923 Stedman introduced a bill in the Senate to create a Mammy memorial in Washington. The bill passed in the Senate, but following a large amount of protest, died in the House.

Death and burial

He was interred in Cross Creek Cemetery in Fayetteville, North Carolina. A commemorative roadside sign was placed in Fayetteville in his honor.

References

Retrieved on 2008-09-28
OurCampaigns.com
in the Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill ;Specific

External links