Calvin Graves (January 3, 1804 – February 11, 1877) was an American politician. He was a house member of 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 ...

and a member of the

North Carolina State 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 ...

. He was the son of Azariah Graves. Graves studied at the

Bingham School Bingham School is a historic school complex located at Oaks, Orange County, North Carolina. The complex includes a large, expansive, multi-stage headmaster's house, a contemporary smokehouse and well house. The oldest section of the house is ...

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, and with

Leonard Henderson Leonard Henderson (October 6, 1772 – August 13, 1833) was an American jurist who served as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1829 to 1833, and an associate judge of that court beforehand. Biography Henderson was born in G ...

, before establishing a law practice in

Yanceyville Yanceyville is a town in and the county seat of Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state, the town had a population of 1,937 at the 2020 census. The settlement was founded in 1792 and was l ...

and entering politics as a delegate from

Caswell County Caswell County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state. At the 2020 census, the population was 22,736. Its county seat is Yanceyville. Partially bordering the state of Virginia ...

to the 1835 state constitutional convention. He supported railway expansion and the

North Carolina Railroad The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina. The railroad carries over seventy freight trains offered by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger t ...

, supported the establishment of an insane asylum, and was a trustee at

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

. He opposed voting rights for African Americans. His vote for a railroad as Senate president broke a tie. He and his wife had two sons and two daughters. A historical marker is at the site of his birthplace.

References

1804 births 1877 deaths Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina state senators People from Yanceyville, North Carolina 19th-century American politicians {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub