Alexander Mebane, Jr. (November 26, 1744 – July 5, 1795) was a U.S. Congressman from the state of

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 ...

from 1793 to 1795. He was also a brigadier general in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War.

Early life

Alexander Mebane, Jr. was one of twelve children born to Alexander Mebane, Sr. and Mary Tinnin. Born in Lancaster County in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

, he moved to Hawfields,

, by the time his father received a land grant in 1754. Mebane attended common schools in Orange County. He served as a delegate to the Provincial Congress of North Carolina in 1776, was named justice of the peace in 1776, the first

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of Orange County under statehood in 1777, and auditor of the Hillsborough district in 1783 and 1784.

Military service

Alexander served in the following positions during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

: * Colonel in the Southern Orange County Regiment of militia (1776–1777) * Colonel over the Orange County Regiment of militia (1777–1780) * Commissary General for the State of North Carolina, with the rank of Brigadier General (1780–1783) * Colonel of the horse for the Hillsborough District (1788) * General of the Hillsborough District (1789)

Political career

Mebane was an

Anti-Federalist The Anti-Federalists were a late-18th-century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles ...

member of the conventions in Hillsborough in 1788 and in Fayetteville in 1789 which considered ratification of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

. Mebane served in the North Carolina House of Commons from 1787 to 1792, unsuccessfully ran for the 2nd congressional district in 1791, and was elected to the

3rd United States Congress The 3rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pen ...

in 1792, where he served one term representing the 4th congressional district (March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795). He was re-elected to the 4th United States Congress, but died before the term began. Mebane was one of the original trustees of 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 ...

Death

Alexander Mebane, Jr. died at Hawfields in Orange County, on July 5, 1795, shortly after he finished his first term in Congress. He is buried at First Hawfields Burying Ground, Cheeks Township, Orange County, North Carolina.

Mebane, North Carolina Mebane ( ) is a city located mostly in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, and partly in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County. The town was named for Alexander Mebane, an American Revolutionary War general and member of the U ...

is named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mebane, Alexander 1744 births 1795 deaths Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Militia generals in the American Revolution Politicians from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania People from Alamance County, North Carolina North Carolina sheriffs North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution Military personnel from Pennsylvania

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives Candidates in the 1790–1791 United States elections