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Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr.

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This article is about the 27th governor of North Carolina. For his father, the eighth governor, see Richard Dobbs Spaight.

Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr.
27th Governor of North Carolina
In office
December 10, 1835 – December 31, 1836
Preceded byDavid Lowry Swain
Succeeded byEdward Bishop Dudley
17th Grand Master of Masons
of North Carolina[1]
Freemason
In office
1830–1832
Preceded byLouis D. Wilson
Succeeded bySimmons J. Baker
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 4th district
In office
March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825
Preceded byWilliam S. Blackledge
Succeeded byJohn Heritage Bryan
Member of the North Carolina Senate
In office
1820–1823
Member of the North Carolina House of Commons
In office
1819
Personal details
Born1796 (1796)
New Bern, North Carolina
Died(1850-11-17)November 17, 1850
New Bern, North Carolina
Resting place"Clermont," near Newbern, North Carolina
35°04′19.9″N 77°03′17.7″W / 35.072194°N 77.054917°W / 35.072194; -77.054917
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Democratic-Republican
Parent
EducationUniversity of North Carolina

Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr. (1796 – November 17, 1850) was an American politician and planter who served as the 27th governor of North Carolina from 1835 to 1836. His father, Richard Dobbs Spaight, served as the eighth governor of North Carolina from 1792 to 1795.

Biography

Born in New Bern, North Carolina, 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, graduating in 1815. Spaight studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1818; he was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1819 and the North Carolina Senate in 1820, where he served until being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1823.[2]

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.), 1828 (by John Owen), 1830, 1831 (by Montfort Stokes) and 1832 (by David Swain). Spaight was finally successful in 1835, becoming the last governor elected by the General Assembly under the North Carolina Constitution of 1776. As governor, he opposed state-funded internal improvements. 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. The Spaights were the first father and son to serve as governor. W. Kerr Scott and Robert W. Scott later achieved the same distinction. Spaight retired to his farm near New Bern.[2]

Arms

Coat of arms of Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr.[3]
Crest
A dove
Escutcheon
Argent, on a fesss Gules 3 pheons
Motto
Vi et virtute (Strength and courage)

References

  1. ^ "Officers of the GRAND LODGE A.F. & A. M. of NORTH CAROLINA" [1787 TO 1887 First One Hundred Years]. Raleigh, North Carolina: Grand Lodge of North Carolina. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  2. ^ a b United States Congress. "Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr. (id: S000694)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  3. ^ Bolton's American Armory. Boston: F. W. Faxon Co, 1927
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