Abner Nash (August 8, 1740December 2, 1786) was an American politician who served as the second

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 ...

from 1780 to 1781 and as a member of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

from 1782 until his death.

Life story

Nash was born the son of Col. John Nash and Anne Owen at "Templeton Manor" Plantation in Prince Edward County in the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...

. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

and was admitted to the bar in Virginia. He also began his political career there, serving in the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...

from 1761 to 1765 before moving to

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

. He married the widow of former colonial governor Arthur Dobbs.Authur Dobbs Esquire 1689–1765 Nash was an active supporter of the revolutionary cause. He represented New Bern in the rebel " provincial congress" assembled from 1774, and in 1776 was a member of the committee that drafted the state's new

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

. He became a member of the North Carolina House of Commons in 1777 (serving as the first Speaker of that house) and the North Carolina State Senate in 1779. He was elected governor by the legislature in 1780. During his brief tenure as governor, North Carolina saw some of its worst conflicts as a battleground in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Unlike his brother

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

, his temper and poor health were poorly suited to the needs of war. This brought him into difficulty with the legislature. The assembly appointed

Richard Caswell Richard Caswell (August 3, 1729November 10, 1789) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the first and fifth governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780 and from 1785 to 1787. He also served as a senior officer ...

as commander-in-chief (Major General) of the North Carolina militia and state troops, even though the constitution assigned this responsibility to the governor. Then in December 1780, they named a ''Council Extraordinary'' that further encroached on his office. Consequently, Nash resigned and went home in the spring of 1781. Thomas Burke was named to replace him.

Death

Later in 1782, North Carolina eased political tensions by sending Nash as a delegate to the

. He would serve there the rest of his life, as he died at a session in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Abner was initially buried in St. Paul's Churchyard in Manhattan, but his body was later returned for burial in a private, family plot in Craven County, North Carolina.

Family

His son, Frederick Nash, was also a lawyer and political leader. He would serve as Chief Justice of the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

. Another descendant, Frederic, would later become a famous poet by his middle name,

Ogden Nash Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his Light poetry, light verse, of which he wrote more than 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyme, rhyming schemes, he was declared by ''The New York T ...

References

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External links

Biographic sketch at US Congress website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Abner 1740 births 1786 deaths People from Prince Edward County, Virginia North Carolina state senators Governors of North Carolina Continental Congressmen from North Carolina Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution North Carolina state troops in the American Revolution Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Members of the North Carolina Provincial Congresses