State

Page Six THE STATE September 28, 1935 GOVERNORS OF NORTH CAROLINA - No. 32— RICHARD DOBBS SPAIGHT - - - - By W. J. Sadler - ★ Til К life of Governor ICiclinril l>obbs ★ Spaiglit was onilod by a bullet from (lie weapon of a duelling opponent seven short years after be bad re¬ tired from tlie Governorship after serving three one-year terms. He was a man of wealth and education, and served liis state well «luring the time he occupied the Governor's office. PISTOL fire from n duelling opponent brought to nn <*iul the life of Richard Dobbs Spaiglit, Governor of North Carolina from December 14, 1792, to November II», 1795. less than seven short years after ho had relin¬ quished the duties of the gubernatorial office. The slaving of Spnight resulted from a duel on September 5. 1802, with John Stanly, a North Carolina Congressman in the national House of Representatives. The contest was the aftermath of a heated political campaign, during which Stanly had opposed Spnight'* efforts to have himself re-elected as a state senator from Craven County. Didn’t Like Handbills Stanly's opposition to Spaiglit was based on allegations that the latter had, while in Congress some years before, opposed certain legislation which Stan¬ ly thought would have been of great lionefit to North Carolina. Spnight ignored the charges until after his re- election, when ho had printed ami dis¬ tributed hand-bills, in which he replied to Stanly's assertions. The tenor of the reply was not at all to Stanly's liking, and he challenged Spaiglit to a duel — the usual matter in •hose days of settling disputes and re¬ plying to charges of dishonorable ac¬ tions. "On the fourth fire,” says Captain Samuel A. Ashe of Raleigh, in his history of North Carolina, “Governor Spnight was mortally wounded and died the next day. Spaiglit was then n man of about 50 years of age, full of honors and usefulness. Stanly was hut 27. Criminal proceedings were institute 1 against Stanly, hut he made such representations to Governor Wil¬ liam' that the Governor pardoned Well Educated Man Governor Spnight, who was elected hv the legislature, as was the custom in those days, was a well-to-do and finely educated man. A native of North Carolina, lie secured his early education in this state, later attending the University of Edinburgh in Scot¬ land. where he was graduated with honors. 1‘rior to 1791. meetings of the Gen¬ eral Assembly bad been held in various towns ami cities of the state, hut the legislature of that year met in the re¬ cently completed Capitol building in the city of Raleigh. This structure later was destroyed by lire and replaced with the present Capitol, the corner¬ stone of which was laid in 1833, more than a century ago. In that year there also transpired another event of historic importance to the state. That was the formal opening of the University of North Carolina, with Ib-v. David Kerr, a Presbyterian minister of Fayetteville, as the first “principal” or president. University Opened "The opening day was to be Janu¬ ary 15." says an historical account of the University's first scholastic year, "but it wo 8 not until February 12 that the first pupil, lliutou James, arrived, coming from Wilmington. And then a fortnight elapsed before three others arrived, also from Wilmington, the sons of Alfred Moore, later justice of the Supreme Court, and their cousin, Richard Eagles. Others soon followed, and at the end of the term the num¬ ber bad increased to 41." The printing and newspaper indu>- tries advanced considerably during the administration of Governor Spaiglit. Abram Ilodge probably was the first Tar Heel to establish and edit a “chain" of publications. He had pa¬ pers in New Bern, Edenton, Halifax and Fayetteville. By the end of the eighteenth cen¬ tury. others had been es¬ tablished in Wilmington. Hillsboro, Salisbury, Lin- colnton and Raleigh. At that time, Governors of the state wore elected for one-year terms. Spaight, following liis first year. ba«l Ix-en re-elected bv the legislature in November, 1793. He again was select¬ ed for the post for what was to he bis last term by members of the As¬ sembly who met for the first time in the new Capitol building at Raleigh in December, 1794. A description of the first Capitol says that it was "an ugly pile of brick and wood, without porch or ornament, built by Rhodes Atkins. The plan was similar to that of the later edifice. Rut while there were ill the building rooms for the state officers, there were no residences for the Governor and othpr state officers to occupy. As yet there was no town, but a tavern or two had 1хч-п erected, and necessarily the mcm- l*-rs had to come from their homes either on horseback or in private con¬ veyances.” The now widespread custom of hold¬ ing county fairs was inaugurated while Governor Spaight was serving his last year in the office of the Chief Exec¬ utive. Nowadays, such fairs urc con¬ ducted almost wholly for amusement, hut in 1795, they had a more serious vein. They were held, says an his¬ torian. “so as to afford an opportunity and give encouragement to industry by collecting the inhabitants for the purpose of exchanging, bartering and selling all such articles as they wish to dispose of." Governor Spaight’s final term wa* more or less uneventful Ho did not again oiler for re-election, and Samuel Ashe, of New Hanover County, was named to succeed him. Spaiglit con¬ tinued active in public life, however, until the fatal day in September. 1802. that bis life was ended by a bullet fired from the duelling pistol of John Stanly.