The Bar of Halifax
Willie Jones. William K. Davie*. Abner Nash,
John Branch, the Kitcliins anil many other
famous men came from Halifax and ren¬
dered outstanding service to the stale and
nation.
HALIFAX shares with Orange
and Craven the distinction
of having been the home of
more famous lawyers, jurists and
statesmen than any other counties.
In Halifax lived more Governors
than in any other county; it shares
with Wake the honor of having pro¬
duced two cabinet officers; from it
have sprung several United States
Senators; and one nationally
known Chief Justice. Limitations
of space preclude even the mention
of all the distinguished sons of the
county, but let us briefly refer to
such a few of them.
Jones is a famous name in
Colonial and Revolutionary Caro¬
lina and is preserved in the county
of that name. It was this family
that adopted the father of the
American Navy — John Paul Jones
— who took his name from his
adopted family. General Allan
Jones was a resident of Northamp¬
ton, but his brother Willie made
his home on his broad acres in
Halifax. Many historians consider
Willie as the most astute political
leader of his day. He led the forces
in the Hillsboro Convention which
opposed the ratification of the Fed¬
eral Constitution, and was success¬
ful in preventing its ratification at
that time. His was the potent and
powerful voice which moved the
Commissioners to select the plan¬
tation of Joel Lane as the site for
the future capital city of Raleigh,
and one of the principal residential
j streets in that city bears his name.
It is a remarkable commentary on
I the transitory quality of human
I greatness, that not even the grave
this once important character
in now be located, although it is
ipposed to be somewhere on a
intation owned by him in Wake
>unty.
William R. Davie
William R. Davie was the fore-
>st figure of his generation. A
stinguished General during the
solution; the ablest lawyer of
day, the most influential legis-
of his period, an influential
lember of several Continental
mgresses, a member of the Con-
Bm R. C. LAWRENCE
vention which framed the Federal
Constitution, officially recognized
as the "Father of the University,"
Grand Master of Masons, in which
capacity he laid the corner stone
of "Old East” building at Chapel
Hill, he is one of the most striking
figures in Carolina history. His
memory is preserved in the county
which bears his name; and a move¬
ment is now under foot by the
University Alumni to bring back
the remains of this heroic character
from his South Carolina plantation
where he died, and reinter them
on the University campus near the
Davie Poplar, which is known to
every University student.
Abner Nash several times repre¬
sented either the borough town of
Halifax or else the County in the
Assembly, and upon the formation
of the State government he played
an important part in securing the
adoption of the famous Halifax
Resolves of April 12, 1776. a date
carried on our State flag. Remov¬
ing to New Bern he was elected
as a member of the Continental
Congress, and then as Governor
of his State, serving only one term
and declining re-election. He was
a brother of General Francis Nash,
who was killed at the battle of
Germantown, and an uncle of Chief
Justice Frederick Nash. Nash
County bears the name of the
General,
John Branch
John Branch passed a distin¬
guished career, serving for nu¬
merous terms either in the House
of Commons or in the Senate. Then
he was elected as Governor; there¬
after being elected as United States
Senator. Upon the election of
Jackson as President, he named
Branch as Secretary of the Navy —
the first cabinet appointment to
come to Carolina. But during
Jackson's second administration
differences arose which caused the
resignation of several members of
the cabinet. Secretary of War
Eaton married Peggy O'Neal, the
daughter of a Washington tavern-
keeper, and official and social
Washington declined to receive
or accept her on terms of social
equality. The President rallied to
her support and brought all the
Kssure of his administration to
r in an effort to force official
society to receive her. The wife
of Secretary Branch declined to do
so and this caused the Secretary to
tender his resignation and his re¬
turn to private life. It is some¬
what singular that the only cabinet
position in the United States Gov¬
ernment which has been filled by
a Carolinian has been that of
Secretary of the Navy, of which
there have been five; while the only
cabinet post occupied by a son of
Carolina in the Confederate cabi¬
net was that of Attorney General,
of which there were two — Thomas
Bragg of Halifax and George Davis
of New Hanover. Governor Branch
later became Governor of Florida.
Bartholomew Figures Moore
The only official post held by the
famous Bartholomew Figures
Moore was that of Attorney Gen¬
eral. but he was the leader' of the
Carolina Bar for a long number of
years prior to and immediately
following the Civil War and was
tendered by President Grant the
office of Provisional Governor,
which he declined. There was no
important case tried during his
career in which he did not figure,
and his name appears in the Re¬
ports of the Supreme Court more
frequently than any other member
of the Carolina Bar. During the
tumult immediately following the
Civil War, when even the Judges
lent their names and influence to
partisan political purposes. Moore
authored a "Solemn Protest against
Political Activity on the Part of
the Judiciary," a protest signed by
Moore and 107 other leading
Democratic lawyers of the State.
Although this protest was signed
by such men as Zebu Ion B. Vance,
Chief Justice James E. Shepherd
( Continued on page 16)