Gabriel Johnston (1699 – 17 July 1752) was a British colonial official who served as the sixth provincial

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 1734 until his death in 1752. He was the longest serving governor, holding the office for 18 years.

Early life and career

Johnston was born in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1699. He was a physician, political writer, and professor of Oriental languages at the University of St. Andrews.

Governor of North Carolina

Johnston was greatly disturbed by the conditions he found in the province and deplored what he considered the moral laxity, the disregard for law, the inadequate educational facilities, and the oppression of the poor. His administration witnessed an increase in wealth, population, and development of resources. The United Brethren purchased 100,000 acres of land and settled

Wachovia Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo and Company in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States, based on total asset ...

. Another group emigrating in large numbers, and with especial appeal for the governor, were the Scots, who settled in the Cape Fear region. The union with England and a breakup in the clan system, as well as a pardon to all Scottish rebels who would emigrate, greatly stimulated their settlement in America. The General Assembly exempted all new settlers from taxation for ten years. It was probably motivated by a desire to increase immigration to the province, but doubtless the Scottish governor added weight to the measure.

Honors

Some years later the General Assembly of North Carolina provided for the erection of a fort on the south bank of Cape Fear and named it in honor of Johnston. Johnston County was also named for him.

References

External links

*
Gabriel Johnston Papers
at 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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Gabriel 18th-century Scottish male writers 18th-century Scottish educators 1699 births 1752 deaths 18th-century Scottish medical doctors 18th-century Scottish writers Academics of the University of St Andrews Burials at St. Paul's Church, Edenton Governors of the Province of North Carolina Johnston County, North Carolina