Prominent people of North Carolina: brief biographies of leading people for ready reference purposes

48 PROMINENT PEOPLE OF NORTH CAROLINA versity of the State since 1891 and a trustee of that institution since 1879. He is also a trustee of St. Mary’s School for girls, at Raleigh. In poli¬ tics he belonged to the Conservative Union party before the war between the states, and he has been a Democrat since the organization of the party in this state after the war. He was for many years a member of the Demo¬ cratic state committee and from 1884 to 1888 the chairman of that commit¬ tee. Against his wishes he was nom¬ inated by his party in Wake county for the House of Representatives in 1872, for the constitutional convention in 1875 and the State Senate in 1880. The Republicans, in these years, were in the ascendancy in Wake, but each time he made a vigorous campaign and received more than the vote of his party. Mr. Battle is a member of the Epis¬ copal church, has been senior warden of the Church of the Good Shepherd at Raleigh since its organization in 1874, and has served as a delegate to the general conventions of his church and a member of its committee on canons, continuously, since 1889. Mr. Battle was married in Novem¬ ber. i860, to Miss Annie Ruffin, sec¬ ond daughter of Hon. Thos. S. Ashe, late of the Supreme court of the state. She died in July, 1883. Of eleven children born to her and her husband only four are now surviving. MARTIN HICKS HOLT, A. M. Was born January 9, 1855, a son of John Foust Holt, a farmer. His mother was Miss Louisa Williams, of Rockingham county, with the history of which her ancestors were closely identified. He was educated at Oak Ridge In¬ stitute and later took his degree at Western Maryland College, of West¬ minster, Md. With his brother, J. A. Holt, he bought the Oak Ridge Institute of Oak Ridge, N. C, in 1880, and has remained in the conduct of that institution ever since. He repre¬ sented Guilford county in the State Legislature in 1893, and was trus¬ tee of the State University from 1893 1897, and a director of the North Carolina School for the Deaf and Dumb at Morganton since its founda¬ tion. He is a class leader in the Meth¬ odist Protestant church, and repre¬ sented his church in the General Con¬ ference of 1888. He married Miss Mary Lambeth, a daughter of Harvey Lambeth, of Reedy Fork, Giulford county, a well known farmer. His daughter. Miss Myrtle Holt, is now the wife of Prof. J. T. Bennett, of Oak Ridge Institute, and his son, John Harvey Holt, is a student in the State University. SAMUEL L. PATTERSON Was born in Yadkin Valley, Cald¬ well county, March 6, 1850, a son of Samuel Finley Patterson, a farmer who was for many years chairman of the county court, several times a mem¬ ber of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the State Legisla¬ ture, and at one time state treasurer. His mother was Miss Phebe Caroline ones, a daughter of Gen. Edmund ones, a farmer, who was also a mer¬ chant, and many times a member of the Legislature from Wilkes county. He was educated at Wilson's school, a short time at the State University and at the University of Virginia. He clerked in a store and was a bookkeeper in Salem, N. C., for sev¬ eral years to learn business methods. He was supervisor of the census of 1880, a member of the House of Rep¬ resentatives in 1891 and in 1899 and of the State Senate in 1893 and has been commissioner of agriculture from 1895 to the present time, except from '97 to ’99. He has also been a county commissioner and has held numerous other minor offices. He is a member of the Episcopal church. He married Miss Mary Senseman, of Salem, N. C, a daughter of the late Rev. E. T. Senseman, of Indiana. DRED PEACOCK Was born April 12, 1864, a son of Dr. Calvin C. Peacock, a physician. His mother was Miss Ava Heath, a daughter of William Heath. He was educated at Trinity College, N. C. He was principal of Lexington, N. C., Seminary during 1887 and 1888; professor of Latin and Science in Greensboro Female College from 1888 to 1894, and president of the Greensboro Female College from 1894 PROMINENT PEOPLE OF NORTH CAROLINA 49 to 1902; general agent Provident Sav¬ ings Life of N. Y. from 1902 to 1903 and vice-president of the Globe Home Furniture Co., of High Point, N. C., since 1904. He is a member of the M. E. Church South. He married Miss Ella Carr, a daugh¬ ter of O. W. Carr, of Trinity, N. C. He is the father of two children, a daughter, Odell Peacock, five years of age, and John R. Peacock, eleven years of age. CHARLES ALPHONSO SMITH Was born May 28, 1864, at Greens¬ boro, N. C., a son of Jacob Henry Smith, a Presbyterian minister of Greensboro, N. C. His mother was Miss Mary Kelly Watson, a daugh¬ ter of Judge Egbert R. Watson, of Charlottsville, Va. He was educated in the Greensboro graded schools, Da¬ vidson College, Johns Hopkins Univer¬ sity and studied abroad in 1900 and 1901. He was professor of English in the Louisiana State University from 1893 to 1902 and was made professor of English in- the University of North Carolina in 1902, and dean of the Graduate Department in 1903. He is a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity and an elder in the Pres¬ byterian church. He married Miss Susie McGee Heck, a daughter of Col. J. M. Heck, of Raleigh, November 8, 1905. LYCURGUS LAFAYETTE STA¬ TON, M. D. Was born in Edgecombe county, February 1, 1849, a son of Henry La Fayette Staton, a large planter of cotton, who was a county commis¬ sioner in Edgecombe county, and an officer in the Confederate service. His mother was Miss Margaret Batts, a daughter of Benjamin Batts, who was a county court judge and a mem¬ ber of the county commission. He was educated at the Wilkerson Male Academy, Tarboro, N. C., and the V. M. I., Lexington, Va., the University Medical College, N. Y.. and the Col¬ lege of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. He is one of the founders of the Pittman Hospital and Visiting Physi¬ cians. Since leaving college he has been a member of the firm of Staton & Zoeller. He is president of the Tar River Oil Company and the Tarboro Cot¬ ton Factory and a director of the Pamlico Insurance and Banking Co., and was health officer for Edgecombe county for twelve years. He married Miss Kate E. Barker, second daughter of Dr. W. S. Barker, a physician of Tarboro, N. C. He is the father of three children, Henry, a lawyer practising in New York city, Adolphus, of the U. S. N., who. gradu¬ ated from the Naval Academy in 1902 and Miss Sallie B. Staton, who graduated from Vassar in class of 1897. DANIEL ALBRIGHT LONG Was born in Orange county, in that portion which has since become Ala¬ mance county, May 22, 1844, a son of Jacob Long, a farmer. His mother was Miss Jane Stewart Stockard, a daughter of Colonel John R. Stock¬ ard, who served in the war of 1812, and was a member of the Legislature of North Carolina from Orange county for seventeen successive terms. He was educated in Graham high school under Rev. W. S. Long, D. D., at Melville Academy, under Rev. Alex Wilson, D. D., the University of North Carolinaj Yale University, University of Virginia and Columbia University, New York city. He won a fellowship at Columbia University, took the degrees of A. M. and D. D. at the University of North Carolina, and the degree of LL. D. from the Union Christian College. His life work has been teaching and preaching. He first taught in the public schools. He was president of Graham Normal College for ten years, president of Antioch College, Ohio, for sixteen years, pastor of Christian Church, Raleigh, one year. He is a Master Mason and pastor of the New Providence Christian church at Graham, which is situated within three miles of the farm on which he was born and reared, and where he now resides. His first wife was Miss Avarilla Warters, of Kinston, North Carolina. A lady of rare accomplishments, who lived a short time after marriage. His