History of Governorship in North Carolina

North Carolina's history as an organized governing system led by a governor may be viewed in five chronological stages: the Virginia colony, the southern plantation, the Lords Proprietors, the Royal colony, and the state of North Carolina. A chronology of governors serving during each of these stages is available in our biography section.

The Virginia Colony

In the sixteenth century the nations of Europe began a period of exploration and colonization in the "New World." England sought to maintain her interests in the struggle for new territories and resources among other contending nations, principally Spain. Queen Elizabeth commissioned Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a settlement in the "New World" to secure England's claims to territory. This new colony was named "Virginia" in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the virgin queen. The territory of that original colony included what is now North Carolina as well as many other states. 

The Southern Plantation

After the mysterious disappearance of the "Lost Colony," the first successful English settlement was made at Jamestown. From Jamestown, settlement spread south. Eventually a distinction began to be made by the colonists between Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay area, and Old Virginia or South Virginia, the Roanoke Island area. When the latter area, now a part of North Carolina, became more settled it became known as the Southern Plantation. A "Commander of the Southern Plantation" was created by the governor of Virginia. The actions of the Virginia governor outpaced his authority under the English Crown, and the Southern Plantation and its Commander were short-lived.

The Lords Proprietors

The Stuarts succeeded Queen Elizabeth as monarchs of Britain. Charles I was beheaded in 1649 and Oliver Cromwell ruled during the "interregnum." Charles II returned the Stuarts to the throne in 1660 and rewarded his loyal supporters. Eight of these loyalists (Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon; George Monck, Duke of Albemarle; William Craven, Earl of Craven; John Lord Berkeley; Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury; Sir George Carteret; Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia; and Sir John Colleton) were rewarded by King Charles II by being made Proprietors of his new colony, Carolina, which reached from the southern boundary of Virginia, incorporating the Southern Plantation, to the northern boundary of the Spanish colony of Florida. The western boundary of Carolina was to be the "South Seas."

The Royal Colony

The Proprietors had difficulty in managing the colony. There were border disputes with Virginia, Indian wars with the Tuscarora, and piracy at the hands of the notorious Blackbeard. A portion of Carolina had emerged as its own organizational unit and became the royal colony of South Carolina in 1719. Advisors to the British king recommended direct royal control of the colonies. In 1729 seven of the eight Lord Proprietors sold their colonial holdings in Carolina to the Crown. The lone Proprietor was John Carteret, Earl Granville, who retained the Granville Tract in North Carolina without governing control until the American Revolution.

The State of North Carolina

Under the rule of the king, dissent within North Carolina grew. The Regulators rose in the western parts of the state protesting corrupt colonial government. The ladies of Edenton signaled their resolve to support the American cause in what has become known as the Edenton Tea Party. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence in 1775 (now generally considered spurious, but representative of the dissatisfaction with royal government) signified that the people of the western areas of the colony supported a separation from royal control. On July 15, 1775, Josiah Martin, pursued by North Carolina patriots, fled from Fort Johnston with his family to the protection of the British warship, Cruizer. He was to be the last royal governor of North Carolina.

From 1776 until the constitutional convention of 1835, North Carolina's governors were chosen by the General Assembly. After 1835, governors were elected by popular vote for two year terms, and could be re-elected for another two years. When North Carolina was readmitted to the Union in 1868, the state's new Constitution allowed for direct election of the governor for a single four year term. This remained true until 1977, when the 1971 Constitution was amended to allow a sitting governor to stand for re-election.

Additional resources:

NC Digital Collections resources (Government & Heritage Library and NC State Archives)

NC LIVE

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)

Slide show of NC Gubernatorial Inaugurations from the North Carolina State Archives Flickr feed.