North Carolina in the 1800s

North Carolina State House of Commons

1854-1855

This General Assembly met from November 20, 1854 to February 16, 1855.

The reapportioning of the North Carolina House of Commons based upon the 1850 US Census was finally completed and implemented this year, and there were plenty of changes. With the creation of new counties since the last reapportionment, many existing counties had to give up one delegate to retain the number of members as stipulated in the latest NC State Constitution. Lincoln County gave up three delegates. Orange, Stokes, and Surry counties each gave up two delegates. Cleveland and Cumberland counties gained one delegate each.

Although McDowell County and Union County were established in 1842; Gaston County was established in 1846; Alexander County was established in 1847; Alamance, Forsyth, and Watauga Counties were established in 1849; Yadkin County was established in 1850; and, Jackson County and Madison County were established in 1851; all ten counties began sending their first delegates to the NC General Assembly in 1854.

County

 Number of
Delegates Authorized

Delegate(s)

Alamance

2

J.W. Lancaster, Giles Mebane

Alexander

1

A.M. Bogle

Anson

2

Atlas Jones Dargan, W.W. Wilkins

Ashe

1

Allen Gentry

Beaufort

2

Jesse R. Stubbs, Vacant/Unknown

Bertie

2

David Outlaw, Patrick H. Winston, Jr.

Bladen

1

George M. White

Brunswick

1

Gaston Meares

Buncombe

1

Zebulon Baird Vance

Burke

1

W.F McKeason

Cabarrus

1

Daniel M. Barringer

Caldwell

1

Samuel F. Patterson

Camden

1

Wilson Harrison

Carteret

1

L.T. Oglesby

Caswell

2

Samuel P. Hill*, William Long

Catawba

1

H. Sherrill

Chatham

3

Richard Carney Cotten, A.D. Cotten, James H. Headen

Cherokee

1

John Roland

Chowan

1

John C. Badham

Cleveland

2

G.G. Holland, W.W. Wright

Columbus 

1

A.J. Jones

Craven

2

Samuel W. Chadwick, George Green

Cumberland

3

C.H. Coffield, Malcolm J. McDuffie, Jesse G. Shepherd

Currituck

1

Samuel B. Jarvis

Davidson

2

James M. Leach, Henry Walser

Davie

1

W.B. Marsh

Duplin

2

W.J. Houston, N.B. Whitfield

Edgecombe

2

Joshua Barnes, David Williams

Forsyth

2

Allen Flynt, Jesse A. Waugh

Franklin

1

William K. Martin

Gaston

1

James H. White

Gates

1

Mills H. Eure

Granville

3

James S. Amis, William H. Lyon, James M. Bullock

Greene

1

Benjamin F. Williams

Guilford

3

David F. Caldwell, Calvin C. Johnston, Ralph Gorrell

Halifax

2

James D. Perkins, Richard H. Smith

Haywood

1

Robert G.A. Love

Henderson

1

John D. Baxter

Hertford

1

W.L. Daniel

Hyde

1

Milton Selby

Iredell

3

J.R.B. Adams, V. Teague, William Turner

Jackson

1

Thaddeus D. Bryson

Johnston

2

Asa Barnes, Burness H. Tomlinson

Jones

1

F.G. Simmons

Lenoir

1

William Sutton

Lincoln

1

Henry Cansler

Macon

1

A.J. Patton

Madison

1

John Yancey

Martin

1

John Watts

McDowell

1

S.J. Neal

Mecklenburg

2

William Black, William R. Myers

Montgomery

1

Zebedee Russell

Moore

1

Hugh Leach

Nash

1

John W. Bryant

New Hanover

2

Dugald McMillan, Thomas H. Williams

Northampton

2

John B. Bynum, Unknown/Vacant

Onslow

1

Lott W. Humphrey

Orange

2

Samuel F. Phillips, Josiah Turner, Jr.

Pasquotank

1

William F. Mann

Perquimans

1

John P. Jordan

Person

1

Major Green

Pitt

2

William J. Blow, George Edmund Badger Singletary

Randolph 

2

Jesse Thornburg, John A. Craven

Richmond

1

Walter L. Steele

Robeson

2

Thomas A. Norment, Neill Regan

Rockingham

2

Joseph W. Neal, Thomas Settle, Jr.

Rowan

2

A.H. Caldwell, C.A. Rose

Rutherford

2

John G. Bynum, William M. Shipp

Sampson

2

George H. Daughtry, E.F. Shaw

Stanly

1

John Furr

Stokes

1

Joel F. Hill

Surry

1

Charles Whitlock

Tyrrell

1

James Davenport

Union

1

James A. Dunn

Wake

3

Jacob Mordecai, Nathaniel G. Rand, W.W. Whitaker

Warren 

2

Samuel A. Williams, William A. Jenkins

Washington

1

Henry A. Gilliam

Watauga

1

Jonathan Horton

Wayne

2

William T. Dortch, Lewis Whitfield

Wilkes

2

Leander B. Carmichael, C.L. Cook

Yadkin

1

C.W. Williams

Yancey

1

C. Williams
* Samuel P. Hill was elected Speaker of the House of Commons. James T. Marriott was Clerk.
<< 1853        

1856 >>

© 2014 - J.D. Lewis - PO Box 1188 - Little River, SC 29566 - All Rights Reserved