Thomas Perrett (November 27, 1843 - April 22, 1923) was an American politician and businessman. He was elected to 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 ...

in 1907, representing the state's 10th Senate district and later served as mayor of

Faison, North Carolina Faison is a town in Duplin and Sampson counties, North Carolina, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 784. History Faison was originally called "Faison's Depot", and under the latter name was founded around 1833. The town was ...

for 25 years.

Early life

Perrett was born on November 27, 1843, at his family's home in western

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

. Later, his family moved to a farm near

Alamance County Alamance County (), from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved September 18, 2012. is a county in North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 171,415. Its county sea ...

. He worked on the farm and attended a local public school. Perrett was the grandson of Thos Howell, a merchant from England.

Confederate States Army service

Despite being the son of supporters of the Union, Perrett volunteered on January 10, 1861 to serve in the Mathews Cress Roads Company of the

26th North Carolina Infantry Regiment The 26th North Carolina Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was composed of ten companies that came from various counties across North Carolina and Virginia. ...

of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

during 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 served under the command of Colonel

Zebulon Vance Zebulon Baird Vance (May 13, 1830 – April 14, 1894) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil ...

, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Burgwyn, and Major Abner B. Carmichael. He was wounded during the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. On February 22, 1865, command of his regiment had fallen to Perrett. He deserted along with 17 others of the company but was brought back to camp at one of the

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the ...

crossings. He stood trial for

desertion Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...

in March 1865.

Post-war

Perrett served as a Justice of the Peace for Duplin County by appointment of the General Assembly, with his term beginning on April 1, 1899. As a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he was elected to the

to represent the 10th district in 1907, replacing James J. Moore. He served on the state agriculture, pension and soldiers, and public roads committees. He also served on the committees for congressional apportionment and manufacturing, and chaired the committee on enrolled bills. He supported enacting

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 b ...

throughout the state, having helped to pass such legislation for Duplin County. He was succeeded as representative for Duplin and Pender counties by Edmond Hawes in 1909. He also ran a general store since at least 1878, and was a

notary public A notary public ( notary or public notary; notaries public) of the common law is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with general financial transactions, estates, deeds, powers- ...

Personal life

Perrett was married twice. His second wife, Eloise Faison of Friendship Plantation, was a member of a prominent family and a relative of U.S. Congressman John M. Faison. Perrett was also a member of the Faison Hunting Club and a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

for 58 years. Perrett died at his home in Faison, North Carolina on April 22, 1923.

Early life

Confederate States Army service

Post-war

Personal life

References

Further reading