Province of North Carolina General Assembly of 1775
The Province of North Carolina General Assembly of 1775 was a bicameral legislative body of the Province of North Carolina that met from April 4, 1775 to April 8, 1775 in New Bern. The upper house of the legislature was the Executive Council, which was appointed by The Crown as was the Governor, Josiah Martin. The lower house, the House of Burgesses, was elected by the eligible voters in the 34 counties and nine major towns as certified by the local sheriff.[1][2]
| Province of North Carolina General Assembly of 1775 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
 Restored Tryon Palace in New Bern | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | General Assembly | ||||
| Jurisdiction | Province of North Carolina, United Kingdom | ||||
| Meeting place | New Bern, North Carolina | ||||
| Term | 1775 | ||||
| Executive Council | |||||
| Lieutenant Governor | George Mercer | ||||
| Chief Baron of the Exchequer | James Hasell | ||||
| Receiver General | John Rutherford | ||||
| Clerk | Samuel Strudwick | ||||
| Attorney General | Thomas McGuire | ||||
| House of Burgesses | |||||
| Members | 93 Delegates authorized (21 vacancies, 34 counties, 9 Towns) | ||||
| Speaker | John Harvey | ||||
| Clerk | James Green, Jr. | ||||
| Assistant Clerk | James Glasgow | ||||
| Mace Bearer | Benjamin Fordham | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
| |||||
This was the fourth House of Burgesses under Governor Josiah Martin and the final General Assembly of the Province of North Carolina. They met at the same time and with virtually the same representation as the Second North Carolina Provincial Congress, which met in New Bern on April 3 to April 7, 1775. Because the House of Burgesses approved the Continental Congress that was to be held in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, Governor Martin and the Executive Council issued a proclamation dissolving the House of Burgesses on April 8, 1775.[3][1]
Executive Council
The last Governor of the Province of North Carolina was Josiah Martin, who served from 1771 to 1776. His Executive Council, which was the upper house of the general assembly and advisor to the governor, included the following members[4]:
- Samuel Cornell[5]
- William Dry[6]
- George Mercer (Lieutenant Governor)[7]
- James Hasell (Chief Baron of the Exchequer, Acting Governor of the Province of North Carolina in 1771)
- Martin Howard
- Alexander McCulloch[8]
- Robert Palmer[9]
- John Rutherfurd (Receiver General)[10]
- Lewis Henry De Rosset[11]
- John Sampson
- Samuel Strudwick (Clerk)[12]
- Thomas McGuire (Attorney General)[13]
Governor Josiah Martin and the Executive Council issued a proclamation on April 8, 1775 dissolving the Province of North Carolina's General Assembly after the House of Burgesses presented a resolve endorsing the Continental Congress that was to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Executive Council met on June 25, 1775 at Fort Johnston in Brunswick County. By this time sedition was rampant and many were under arms. As the Council met for the last time onboard HMS Cruizer in the Cape Fear River on July 18, 1775, they noted that the "deluded people of this Province" will see their error and return to their allegiance to the King.[4]
House of Burgesses
The delegates to the House of Burgesses represented the 34 counties and nine Towns. The number of delegates from the counties was determined by the population and varied from one to four. Each town had one delegate. Elections were certified by the county sheriffs. The delegates are listed below. John Harvey was elected speaker of the House of Burgesses by his fellow delegates.[1][14]
Notes:
- Election results were not returned and the seats remained vacant.
- Isaac Edwards died before taking his seat and the seat remained vacant.
References
- Lewis, J.D. "Royal Colony of North Carolina, 27th House of Burgesses". Carolana.com. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- Norris, David A. (2006). "The General Assembly". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- Smith, Carmen Miner (2006). "Committees of Safety". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- Lewis, J.D. "Josiah Martin's Executive Council". Retrieved October 23, 2019.
- Price, William S.Jr. (1979). "Samuel Cornell". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Watson, Alan D. (1986). "William Dry, III". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Powell, William S. (1991). "George Mercer". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Price, William S. Jr. (1991). "Alexander McCulloch". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Price, William S. Jr. (1994). "Robert Palmer". Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Watson, Alan D. (1994). "John Ruthefurd". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Price, William S. Jr. (1986). "Lewis Henry De Rosset". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Price, William S. Jr. (1994). "Samuel Strudwick". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Price, William S. Jr. (1991). "Thomas McGuire". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- Towles, Louis P. (2006). "Speaker of the Assembly". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 24, 2019.