Entered .econd-cl.M matter. June 1, 1933, at the Poitofnee at Raleigh. North Carolina, under trie Act nt March 3. leiu
Spaight; the Elder and Younger
Tilt» only iiisl;iiii*ift in .\orlli C arolina's lii.s-
lory where t'allior anil son beeanie gover-
nors of file sfaf<k. They also lielil a nuinber
of oilier iiroininenl publii* offiees anil
positions.
THERE have been numerous in¬
stances in Carolina where
famous lawyer-fathers have
sired famous lawyer-sons. There
was Mr. Justice James Iredell of
the Supreme Court of the United
States, and his son Judge James
Iredell. Jr., who is said to have
been a much abler lawyer than
his father; Chief Justice Ruffin and
his son. both of whom served upon
the bench of our Supreme Court;
Governor Abner Nash, and his son
Chief Justice Frederick Nash;
• Judge Henry Groves Connor, of
our Supreme Court and his son
Judge George W. Connor, who sat
upon the same bench; and numer¬
ous other illustrations might be
cited. But the case of the two
Spaights furnishes the only in¬
stance in our history where father
and son have served as Governor.
Nor was the office of Governor the
only one by any means filled by
these two distinguished men.
Of Irish Ancestry
The Spaights were Irish and the
progenitor of the family was
Richard Spaight. who emigrated
to America prior to 1750. It should
be noted that this family spell their
name with an "a" and not with an
“e" as the name is usually spelled.
This original Spaight himself
served in positions of trust and
responsibility, as he was a pay¬
master in the unfortunate expedi¬
tion which General Bladdock
undertook against the French; he
also served as private secretary to
Colonial Governor Arthur Dobbs;
and he was also Provincial Treas¬
urer for the British Crown. He
married a sister of Governor
By K. €. LAWRENCE
Dobbs, to whom he became en¬
gaged while in her father's service
as his secretary, and this couple
became the parents of Richard
Dobbs Spaight. the elder.
The elder Spaight was born in
NEWBERN in 1758 and was
educated at the University of
Glasgow in Scotland. Before he at¬
tained his majority, he served as a
volunteer aide upon the stall of our
famous soldier-statesman, Gover¬
nor Richard Caswell, and in this
capacity he was present at the dis¬
astrous defeat sustained by our
Continental army under General
Gates when he was routed by the
British at the battle of Camden
Courthouse.
Almost as soon as Spaight be¬
came of age. he began a public
career which lasted throughout his
life. He represented both the
borough town of Newbern. and the
county of Craven in the House of
Commons, of which he became
Speaker in 1785. He occupied with
high distinction a seat in Congress,
and became known as one of the
outstanding leaders of that body.
Constitutional Convention
So large a place did he occupy in
the political life of his generation,
and such was the public confidence
both in his ability and his integrity,
that when the Convention was
called to meet in Philadelphia to
frame our Federal Constitution, he
was one of the five delegates
chosen to sit in that body; the
others being General William R.
Davie. Governor Alexander Martin.
William Blount and Dr. Hugh
Williamson. Two of those delegates
could not remain in Philadelphia
until the engrossment of that im¬
mortal document, and therefore the
names of Spaight. Blount and
Williamson were the only ones af¬
fixed thereto on behalf of North
Carolina. The question of ratifying
this instrument was now submitted
to a Convention which met at Hills¬
boro. of which Spaight was a
member; but the jealous State's-
rights party, led by General Willie
Jones, Thomas Person. Samuel
Johnston and others, were able to
prevent ratification. But later, at
another convention held at Fay¬
etteville, ratification was ordered
by an overwhelming majority.
Spaight then was elected as
Governor, being the first native
Carolinian to occupy that office.
After his tenure in that office was
completed, he was again elected as
a member of Congress. While thus
serving, political feeling llamed
high between Spaight and John
Stanly, an outstanding member of
the Newbern bar. Spaight belonged
to the school of political thought
of which Jefferson was the ex¬
pounder, insisting upon a strict
construction of the Federal Consti¬
tution. Stanly, on the other hand,
was a follower of Alexander
Hamilton, who saw in a strong
central government the only hope
for the making of a nation. In the
political debates much strong
language was used by both Spaight
and Stanly, and as the result of
this, Stanly challenged Spaight to
meet him upon the "field of honor."
Of course this was against the
THE STATE. APRIL 30. 1949
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