Richard Clauselle Puryear (February 9, 1801 – July 30, 1867) was a U.S. Congressman from

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 the years of 1853 and 1857. A planter and politician, he also served in the North Carolina House for several terms and the state senate.

Early life

Richard Clauselle Puryear was born in

Mecklenburg County, Virginia Mecklenburg County is a county (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,319. Its county seat is Boydton, Virginia, Boydton. His ...

. When he was a child, his family moved to

Surry County, North Carolina Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,359. Its county seat is Dobson, and its largest community is Mount Airy. Surry county comprises the Mount Airy, NC Micropol ...

, where he grew up. He became a planter near

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

. He served as a militia

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and the magistrate of Surry County before being elected to the North Carolina House of Commons. Puryear served terms in the North Carolina House in 1838, 1844, 1846, and 1852, as well as a term in the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

before being elected as a Whig to the

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

in 1852. He was re-elected in 1854 as a candidate of the American Party and ran unsuccessfully for a third term in 1856. Puryear was a delegate to the

Provisional Confederate Congress The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, fully the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a unicameral congress of deputies and delegates called together from the Southern States which became the governing ...

in 1861 and to the Peace Congress following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He returned to farming and died at his plantation, "Shallow Ford," in Yadkin County in 1867.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puryear, Richard 1801 births 1867 deaths People from Mecklenburg County, Virginia Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina state senators People of North Carolina in the American Civil War People from Yadkin County, North Carolina Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States 19th-century American planters North Carolina Whigs Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Surry County, North Carolina 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly