Robert Broadnax Glenn (August 11, 1854 – May 16, 1920) was the 51st 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 sove ...

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 ...

from 1905 to 1909.

Early life and career

A native of

Rockingham County, North Carolina Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,096. Its county seat is Wentworth. The county is known as "North Carolina's North Star." Rockingham County is included in ...

, Glenn was born to Chalmers Lanier Glenn and Annie S. Dodge. He graduated from

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

in 1874(?), then attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

law school for a year then studied law under Chief Justice

Richmond Mumford Pearson Richmond Mumford Pearson (1805–1878) was an American jurist who served as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1858 to 1878. He was the father of Congressman Richmond Pearson and the father-in-law of North Carolina Governor D ...

. He began practicing law in

Stokes County Stokes County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 44,520. Its county seat is Danbury, North Carolina, Danbury. Stokes County is in ...

before moving to

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

, where he joined the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to ...

of Glenn, Manly & Henderson, a predecessor firm to the modern-day

Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC Womble Bond Dickinson is a transatlantic law firm formed in 2017 as a result of a merger between UK-based Bond Dickinson LLP and US-based Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP. The combination followed a strategic alliance announcement made in 201 ...

. In 1885, he became prosecuting attorney for the state's ninth district. From 1893 until 1897, he served as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the

Western District of North Carolina The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (in case citations, W.D.N.C.) is a federal district court which covers the western third of North Carolina. Appeals from the Western District of North Carolina are ta ...

. Glenn was elected to 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 1898.

Governor

Glenn was known as the "

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

Governor" for his successful 1908 campaign to ban

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or ha ...

statewide. Glenn was also interested in

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

, as evidenced by his remark 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 ...

meeting of 1908: "our forests are being denuded...the failure of the People throughout the States to protect the great forest industry of our country...is one of the chief sources if not the greatest source of all atural resource waste..Our People, regardless of the future, have been living only for the present, thinking of themselves and not of their children and their children's children." In 1906, a mob in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropoli ...

lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

five black men who were accused of murdering a white family. Governor Glenn ordered three companies of state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non- professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

to the scene, but it was too late; the five were already dead. The next day, Glenn, at the sheriff's request, sent the military companies to Salisbury to guard the jail now holding one alleged lyncher. Glenn went to Salisbury himself two days later to testify in the trial of the soon to be convicted lynching "leader," George Hall. Eventually, the lynch mob leader was tried and sentenced to fifteen years in prison, the first such conviction for lynching in North Carolina history. Hall, however, was pardoned by Governor Kitchin before serving the full term. Public outcry over the lynching and concern about its negative effect on North Carolina's business prospects prompted Glenn to send out an executive order to all county sheriffs and all state militia companies to inform him immediately of any rumor of a lynching in the future, and to shoot to kill if necessary to guard prisoners threatened by mob violence. In 1908, while still serving as governor, Glenn was ordained as an elder at

First Presbyterian Church (Raleigh, North Carolina) First Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located at the corner of Morgan and Salisbury Streets in downtown Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The church was established in a meeting of Presbyterians at the Nort ...

, in what was believed to be the first instance of a sitting governor of the state assuming an ordained office in any church.Jonas, W. Glenn
''A Cloud of Witnesses from the Heart of the City''
p. 162.

Legacy

Glenn was a resident of

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

Robert B. Glenn High School Robert B. Glenn High School (commonly known as Glenn High School) is located in the town of Kernersville in Forsyth County, North Carolina. It is laid out in a college-campus style with numerous small buildings rather than a single large building ...

Kernersville, North Carolina Kernersville is a town in Forsyth County and the largest suburb of Winston-Salem. The town is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. A small portion of the town is also in Guilford County. The population was 26,481 at the 2020 census, ...

is named after the former governor. His boyhood home,

Lower Sauratown Plantation Lower Sauratown Plantation includes the remnants of a historic plantation and archaeological site located near Eden, Rockingham County, North Carolina. The plantation remnants include a plantation office building (c. 1825), a mid-19th century b ...

, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1984.

References

Specific General
northcarolinahistory -Robert Brodnax Glenn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn, Robert 1854 births 1920 deaths Democratic Party governors of North Carolina Democratic Party North Carolina state senators United States Attorneys for the Western District of North Carolina People from Rockingham County, North Carolina American Presbyterians Wilmington insurrection of 1898 American temperance activists Burials at Salem Cemetery