Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr. (1796November 17, 1850) was an American politician and planter who served as the 27th

governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

from 1835 to 1836. His father,

Richard Dobbs Spaight Richard Dobbs Spaight (March 25, 1758September 6, 1802) was an American Founding Father, politician, planter, and signer of the United States Constitution, who served as a Democratic-Republican U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 10th c ...

, served as the eighth governor of North Carolina from 1792 to 1795.

Biography

Born in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and ...

, Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr. was the son of Richard Dobbs Spaight. He was orphaned in 1802, when his father was killed in a duel; he later attended the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

, graduating in 1815. Spaight studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1818; he was elected to the

North Carolina House of Commons The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North C ...

in 1819 and the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the 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 term of office for ...

in 1820, where he served until being elected to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

in 1823. Defeated for re-election to Congress, Spaight returned to the state legislature. He made repeated unsuccessful attempts to run for governor, defeated in 1827 (by

James Iredell Jr. James Iredell Jr. (November 2, 1788 – April 13, 1853) was the 23rd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina between 1827 and 1828. Early life Iredell was born in Chowan County, North Carolina. He was the son of well-known parents: his fath ...

), 1828 (by

John Owen John Owen may refer to: Sports *John Owen (footballer) (1849–1921), English footballer and educator * John Owen (athlete) (1861–1924), American sprinter *Johnny Owen (1956–1980), Welsh boxer *John Owen (cricketer) (born 1971), English cricke ...

), 1830, 1831 (by

Montfort Stokes Montfort Stokes (March 12, 1762November 4, 1842) was an American Democratic (originally Democratic-Republican) politician who served as U.S. Senator from 1816 to 1823, and the 25th Governor of North Carolina from 1830 to 1832. Biography Bo ...

) and 1832 (by

David Swain David Lowry Swain (January 4, 1801August 27, 1868) was the 26th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 1832 to 1835. He was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina; his father, George Swain, was a farmer and a member of the North Ca ...

). Spaight was finally successful in 1835, becoming the last governor elected by the General Assembly under the

North Carolina Constitution The Constitution of the State of North Carolina governs the structure and function of the state government of North Carolina, one of the United States; it is the highest legal document for the state and subjugates North Carolina law. All U.S. st ...

of 1776. As governor, he opposed state-funded

internal improvements Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, canal ...

. Under the new North Carolina Constitution of 1835, Spaight ran in the first statewide popular election for governor, but was defeated by

Edward B. Dudley Edward Bishop Dudley (December 15, 1789 – October 30, 1855) was the 28th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1836 to 1841. He served in the United States House of Representatives as a Jacksonian from 1829 to 1831. Early life Bo ...

. The Spaights were the first father and son to serve as governor.

W. Kerr Scott William Kerr Scott (April 17, 1896April 16, 1958) was an American Democratic Party politician from North Carolina. He was the 62nd governor of North Carolina from 1949 until 1953 and a United States Senator from 1954 until 1958. A native of ...

and

Robert W. Scott Robert Walter "Bob" Scott (June 13, 1929 – January 23, 2009) was an American politician who served as the 67th Governor of North Carolina from 1969 to 1973. He was born and died in Haw River, North Carolina. The son of North Carolina Gove ...

later achieved the same distinction. Spaight retired to his farm near New Bern.

Arms

References

External links

*
Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr.
at The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org)
Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr.
at the

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politi ...

Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr.
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spaight, Richard Dobbs Jr. 1796 births 1850 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians American Freemasons American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law American people of English descent American people of Irish descent Burials in North Carolina Deaths in North Carolina Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Democratic Party governors of North Carolina Farmers from North Carolina North Carolina lawyers Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni

Biography

Arms

See also

References

External links