John Motley Morehead (1796-1866) - Find a Grave Memorial

Governor of North Carolina from 1841 to 1842. When John was two years old, his family relocated to North Carolina from Virginia. He attended the Caldwell Institute and later graduated in 1817 from the University of North Carolina (UNC). He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1818 and set up his practice in Wentworth. Three years later, he was elected to represent Rockingham County in the House of Commons. From 1826 to 1828, he would represent Guilford County and would serve as a delegate to the North Carolina Constitutional Convention. His support of the expansion of transportation brought him to the attention of the Whig party and he was subsequently elected governor in 1840. He was the first governor inaugurated at the new state Capitol. During his two terms, he encouraged state aid for railroad and road development. He especially supported education and established a school for the deaf in Raleigh, known now as the Governor Morehead School. After leaving office, he became president of the North Carolina Railroad. He built a cotton mill in Leaksville and served on the Board of Trustees of UNC. He returned to politics again in 1958 serving as Guilford County's representative in the state legislature. He served as a delegate to the "Peace Conference" in Washington, D.C. He discouraged the secession of North Carolina from the Union and resigned from the senate. However, he was elected a delegate for the Confederate Provincial Congress in 1861. Morehead City, North Carolina is named for him.

Bio by: Winter Birds PA