Thomas Burke
Л
unlive of Ireland, a Csif liolie. plivsirhin.
lawyer and soldier, he held several hi»li
positions
Gov
TWO physicians have Ih'Ooiiic the
chief megislrntcs of our Com¬
monwealth — Dr. Nathaniel Alex¬
ander of Mecklenburg, and 1 >r.
Thoiiini Burke of Orange. But at the
time of tbeir election Or. Alexander
was actively engaged in the practice
of medicine, whereas Or. Burke bad
not only become a lawyer, but a dis¬
tinguished figure at the North Caro¬
lina bar. Burke enjoys the further
distinction that although our Cniisti-
tut ion then prohibited Catholic, from
holding public office, the question of
his religious faith was not raised
again*! him and he held the highest
positions within the gift of the |«cople
of bis adopted state.
He was a native of Galway, Ire¬
land. where he Was horn ill 1717. He
received the hc.t education hi- day
afforded, and became a physician ls«-
fore he emigrated to America in his
young manhood. He first settled at
Norfolk where for a time he eiigagul
in the practice of medicine, hut licing
fond of public life, and having great
gifts as a public speaker, he fell that
the legal profession offered a l»cttcr
opportunity for a career than medi-
cine and lie therefore abandoned niwl-
ieine for the law and soon ro-o to
eminence in his new railing.
Settled near Hillsboro
He moved to North Carolina in
1772 and settled near Hillsboro, on an
estate which he rallul Tyiiqtlin, after
the ancient seat of the Burkes in Ire¬
land. lie immediately entered upon
the practice of law at HilUhor», and
such strides did he make in his pro¬
fession that one of his conteni|ioraries
of the Orange bar referred to him as
the “ablest advocate and completes!
orator our country affords."
In 1
77Г».
although lie had Imm-ii a
resident of the county only three
years, be was elected to represent
Orange County in the Provincial
Congress; and he was reelected the
following year. In May.
177'».
he was
elected as paymaster of the militia of
the Hillsboro district, a position
which he filled until he was elected
as a delegate to the Continental Con¬
gress which necessitated hi« nl«encc
from the state.
Нм»
.slate, including
By 1C. C. LAWRENCE
He was an outstanding nieinlier of
the Provincial CongTWS which met
at Halifax and adopted the Consti¬
tution of niir infant state in Ifcrrni-
l>er. I77«. Historian John II. Wheeler
i* authority for the statement that
this most important of state docu¬
ments was the work of three persons:
Governor Hiehard Caswell; Thomas
.1 ones, of Chowan, and Thomas Burke
of Orange.
Fought at Brandywine
Within a few days after the ado|>-
tion of the Constitution, Burke was
elected as a member of the North
Carolina delegation to the Continental
Congrr... hi- colleagues being Wil¬
liam
Иоо|ч>г
and Joseph llewrs.
While serving as a member of the
Congress, Revolutionary War activi¬
ties drew near Philadelphia, and the
patriotic ardor «»f this fiery Irishman
was such that he took the field and
served as a volunteer officer at the
battle of Brandywine. He lus-ame
convinced that the loss of thi* buttle
was due to the inefficiency of the
American General, John Sullivan,
and he preferred charge again.! that
officer before the Congress, which led
to hie being challenged to a duel; hut
friends intervened a lid composed the
<|uarrcl.
Burk» wa> again elected us n mem-
her of th«> Continental Cong res, in
1777, and during the recess of that
body he was also elected a* the firtl
Representative from Orange in the
House of Commons following the
a«loption «if the Constitution. Such
an outstanding figure in the |Nililieal
life of the state had he now liccouic
that when at this session of the L<gis-
A JEFFERSON STANDARD
POLICY
is a Veda ration of independence
for the Fa mill/
dial of
Intiirc n new western county wn*
creuted, it was culled Burke in liolior
iif the distinguished statesman from
Orange.
He wx« again ch-etrd a* a member
of the Continental Congress in
177ч.
ami in Oct «*lier of tliat y«-ar lie was
invileil to appear liefore the General
A—emhly. when* General Allen Julies,
President of the Senate, and Thotna-
Ihuihury, S|a*aker of the Common*,
thanked him in the name of the stale
for his faithful service as a iiminlier
of tin* Congress. On th«* same day In-
was ris-l.-ctcd as a member of that
l—ly.
Ill the summer of 1781. Burke wa<
«de.-t.sl by the General Assembly a-
the third Governor of our Mule. Iii-
predeci-siiore having been Uielmrd
t 'll. .well ami Abner Nash, lie now
devoted hi* great energy ami ability to
arming and equipping the North
Carolina troops, l- ing of opinion that
the British under Ixud Cornwallis
would invade the stall*, in which ««vent
a strong force wollhl he necessary to
ri'sist them.
Captured by Fanning
But Governor Burke was not long
to enjoy hi* new honor, for at «lay-
break on SptemUr 13. 174. tin-
•iariug parti.au officer. I>a\i«l Fan¬
ning. at the head «»f a large fores • of
Tories, made an unexpected rni«l upon
Hillsboro, which was then the seal of
the government. Il«« captured Gov
«•rimr Burke, the iiu*lill*>rs of hi. couu-
eil. hi- secretary ami numerous officer»
of the Continental army. Tim T«*rir.
now hurri'sl with their ini|«or<aiit
prisoners toward Wilmington, which
had I . . raptured by the British, ami
although the Whigs made ev««rv effort
t« stop them and relak«« th««ir prison¬
ers, limy wen* un»il«44v..ful ami Gov
eruor Iturkc was «lelivered to the Brit¬
ish commander at Wilmington. Inn*
much a* that officer fear.il an attempt
would ls« ina.le at rescue. he hurrinl
his prisoners to Snlliv.
111* I wlllll 1
near Charleston where
L . wn* I.,, i
ill close eonfiiienieut lint i
1 the follow
iug November when lie
was pnndei
within narrow* limits. The Bi
ui ma niler at Charleston was willing
( Continued
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