23 Sept. 1740–23 May 1810
James Kenan, colonial and state official and Revolutionary officer, was born at his father's plantation, The Lilacs, in Turkey, N.C., the oldest son of Thomas and Elizabeth Johnston Kenan. Elected sheriff of Duplin County, he served from 1762 to 1766 and again from 1785 to 1786. Kenan led a company of volunteers to Wilmington in 1765 to oppose enforcement of the Stamp Act, and he was a member of the Assembly in 1773 and 1774 and of the Provincial Congress in August 1774, August 1775, and November 1776. He was chairman of the Duplin Safety Committee and a member of the Wilmington Committee.
As colonel of the Duplin militia, Kenan participated in military operations during the American Revolution. Immediately after the war he was chosen brigadier general for the Wilmington District. He served ten terms in the North Carolina Senate between 1777 and 1793, was a member of the state constitutional convention in 1788–89, and became councilor of state. He also was a trustee of The University of North Carolina.
Kenan married Sarah Love in 1770, and they had eight children: Thomas, Catherine, Elizabeth, Owen, Susannah, Daniel Love, Sarah, and Jane. A member of the Presbyterian church, he died at his plantation in Turkey. His grave has since been moved to the Liberty Hall Restoration in Kenansville.