James Iredell Jr. (November 2, 1788 – April 13, 1853) was the 23rd Governor of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

between 1827 and 1828.

Early life

Iredell was born in

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

. He was the son of well-known parents: his father,

James Iredell James Iredell (October 5, 1751 – October 20, 1799) was one of the first justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was appointed by President George Washington and served from 1790 until his death in 1799. His son, James Iredel ...

, 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 university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

). On his way toward political prominence, Iredell commanded a company of volunteers during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

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

, a post he held from 1828 to 1831. He was completing the term of

Nathaniel Macon Nathaniel Macon (December 17, 1757June 29, 1837) was an American politician who represented North Carolina in both houses of United States Congress, Congress. He was the fifth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, speaker of the ...

, who had resigned. By that time, Iredell was a Jacksonian, or member of the Democratic Party. Iredell did not seek to be re-elected by the state General Assembly to a full term in the Senate. He moved to

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, 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 consists ...

from 1840 to 1852. He died in Edenton and is buried there in the Johnston Burial Ground.

References

External links

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Congressional Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iredell, James Jr. 1788 births 1853 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from North Carolina Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Governors of North Carolina North Carolina Democratic-Republicans North Carolina Jacksonians North Carolina state court judges People from Edenton, North Carolina Princeton University alumni Superior court judges in the United States 19th-century United States senators