Benjamin Williams (January 1, 1751July 20, 1814) was the 11th and 14th

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, from 1799 to 1802 and from 1807 to 1808. He was the first of two North Carolina Governors since the American Revolution to serve nonconsecutive terms.

Biography

Williams was born in

Johnston County, North Carolina Johnston County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 215,999. Its county seat is Smithfield. Johnston County is included in the Raleigh, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

, in 1751, and became a farmer. He married Elizabeth Jones on August 10, 1781; they had one son named Benjamin. Williams served as a member of the revolutionary convention in Johnston County in 1774; he then served in the

North Carolina Provincial Congress The North Carolina Provincial Congresses were extra-legal unicameral legislative bodies formed in 1774 through 1776 by the people of the Province of North Carolina, independent of the British colonial government. There were five congresses. They ...

and two terms in the Provincial Council. In 1775, Williams was appointed to the

Second North Carolina Regiment The 2nd North Carolina Regiment was an American infantry unit that was raised for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 1776 the regiment helped defend Charleston, South Carolina. Ordered to join George Washington's ma ...

; he served until 1781, was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, and fought at the

Battle of Guilford Courthouse The Battle of Guilford Court House was on March 15, 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, at a site that is now in Greensboro, the seat of Guilford County, North Carolina. A 2,100-man British force under the command of Lieutenant General ...

. He also served in the

Province of North Carolina Province of North Carolina was a province of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712(p. 80) to 1776. It was one of the five Southern Colonies, Southern colonies and one of the Thirteen Colonies, thir ...

House of Burgesses in 1775. Military service: * Lieutenant in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment (1775-1776)Provincial troops and later continental line * Captain in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment (1776-1779) * Lt. Colonel or Colonel in the Johnston County Regiment of North Carolina militia (1780-1781) * Lt. Colonel or Colonel over the North Carolina State Regiment (State Troops) (1781) Williams served in the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

during the 1780s, served one term in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1793 to 1795, and was elected governor in 1799 to fill the unexpired term of William R. Davie, who had resigned. Williams served for three years; during his last year in office, he pardoned Congressional Representative John Stanly, who had killed former Gov.

Richard Dobbs Spaight Richard Dobbs Spaight (March 25, 1758September 6, 1802) was an American Founding Father, politician, planter, and signer of the United States Constitution, who served as a Democratic-Republican U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 10th c ...

in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

. The State Constitution of 1776 limited the post of governor to three one-year terms within six years; Williams sought re-election to the position in 1805 but was defeated by Nathaniel Alexander. In 1807, the General Assembly elected him governor once again, but this time he served only a single term of one year. Williams then retired from politics, except for a single term in the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

in 1809. Col. Williams was a Mason and was a member of St. John's Lodge in New Bern. Williams died in 1814 and is buried in Moore County. His home called House in the Horseshoe, is a tourist attraction operated by the

North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is a cabinet-level department within the state government of North Carolina dedicated to overseeing projects in the arts, culture, and history within the borders of the state. The cur ...

References

* ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978'', Robert Sobel and John Raimo, eds. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1978. ()
NC Department of Cultural Resources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Benjamin 1751 births 1814 deaths Governors of North Carolina Members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina North Carolina state senators North Carolina Federalists People from Johnston County, North Carolina People from Moore County, North Carolina Federalist Party state governors of the United States Members of the North Carolina House of Burgesses Members of the North Carolina Provincial Congresses