James Iredell Jr. (November 2, 1788 – April 13, 1853) was the 23rd
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
. He was the son of well-known parents: his father, James Iredell, was a statesman and U.S. Supreme Court justice, and his mother was the sister of former Governor Samuel Johnston. In 1806, young Iredell graduated from the College of New Jersey (today
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...
).
On his way toward political prominence, Iredell commanded a company of volunteers during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...
, practiced law in Chowan County, served in the state House of Commons, as a representative from Edenton, and was appointed a Superior Court judge.
Iredell kept a diary, which was rare among the North Carolina gentry at that time and provides researchers with a glimpse into the life of that time period.
Governor and U.S. Senator
During his short term as governor, he pushed for better infrastructure and education. Reacting to an interest of the day—horse-drawn railroad carriages—he suggested the construction of a trial railroad from Campbellton to Fayetteville.
However, his brief time in office (and the inherent weaknesses of the governor under the Constitution of North Carolina) did not allow him to accomplish much. He left office after a few months to serve in the U.S. Senate, a post he held from 1828 to 1831. He was completing the term of Nathaniel Macon, who had resigned. By that time, Iredell was a Jacksonian, or member of the
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. Iredell did not seek to be re-elected by the state General Assembly to a full term in the Senate. He moved to Raleigh, practiced law, and served as court reporter for 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 consis ...
from 1840 to 1852. He died in Edenton and is buried there in the Johnston Burial Ground.