John Motley Morehead (July 4, 1796 – August 27, 1866) was an American lawyer and politician who became the 29th

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 ...

(1841 to 1845). He became known as "the Father of Modern North Carolina."

Early and family life

Born in

Pittsylvania County, Virginia Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 60,501. Chatham is the county seat. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical Ar ...

, Morehead was the son of Obedience (Motley) and John Morehead. His parents moved to

Rockingham County, North Carolina Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,096. Its county seat is Wentworth. The county is known as "North Carolina's North Star." Rockingham County is included in ...

when Morehead was two. After a private education including private tutors around

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

, Morehead attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. There he became a member of the

Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, commonly known as DiPhi or The Societies, are the original collegiate debating societies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and together comprise the oldest student organization at the Uni ...

, and graduated in 1817.

Career

Morehead read law under Archibald Murphey and was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1819. He practiced law in

Wentworth, North Carolina Wentworth is a town in Rockingham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,646 at the 2020 census. Wentworth is the county seat of Rockingham County and is part of the Greensboro–High Point metropolitan area of the Piedmont ...

. In 1821, Rockingham County voters first elected him to serve in the

North Carolina House of Commons The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

. Beginning in 1826,

Guilford County Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population is 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat, and largest municipality, is Greensboro. Si ...

voters twice elected Morehead to represent them in the North Carolina House of Commons. In 1835, Morehead was chosen to be a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention, where he advocated representation based on population (which benefitted western North Carolina because of its relatively few enslaved people). Voters elected Morehead governor in 1840, and he became the first governor inaugurated in the new State Capitol. During his two gubernatorial terms, Morehead supported the new public school system, extending railroad lines, river and harbor improvements and constructing canals and turnpikes, but the Democrats in the state legislature passed few of those measures. During his final year, Morehead supported creation of a school for the deaf, which would be named in his honor. After his term as governor ended in 1845, Morehead returned to his home,

Blandwood Blandwood Mansion is a historic house museum at 447 West Washington Street in Greensboro, North Carolina. Originally built as a four-room Federal style farmhouse in 1795, it was home to two-term North Carolina governor John Motley Morehead (1841 ...

, in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

, designed by

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

architect Alexander Jackson Davis. There, Morehead entertained numerous politicians and personalities of the day, including

Dorothea Dix Dorothea Lynde Dix (April 4, 1802July 17, 1887) was an American advocate on behalf of the indigent mentally ill who, through a vigorous and sustained program of lobbying state legislatures and the United States Congress, created the first gene ...

. Morehead helped raise private funds for a railroad line to accompany $2 million finally authorized by the legislature, which became 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 ...

. In 1854, Morehead became the first president and the railroad's terminus was named

Morehead City, North Carolina Morehead City is a port town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast. His ...

in his honor in 1860. His successor at the railroad,

Charles Frederick Fisher Charles Frederick Fisher (December 26, 1816 – July 21, 1861) was an American attorney, legislator, engineer, and soldier from Salisbury, the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina. He served as President of the North Carolina Railroad and ...

, however, endured significant criticism during the intervening years. Morehead also built a cotton mill in

Leaksville Eden is a city in Rockingham County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Eden is the largest city in Rockingham County and is part of the Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area of the Piedmont Triad metro region. As of the 2020 c ...

, and served on the Board of Trustees of UNC, his alma mater. Morehead returned to the North Carolina house in 1858. In 1861, he represented North Carolina at a conference to avoid war. With the failure of the conference and the secession of North Carolina, Morehead served in the Confederate Congress.

Death

Morehead died at Rockbridge Springs, Virginia in 1866. He is buried in the Old First Presbyterian Church Cemetery located at the

Greensboro Historical Museum The Greensboro History Museum, consisting of the former First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro and Smith Memorial Building, is a historic museum building located at 130 Summit Ave. in Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina. The former Presbyt ...

in Greensboro.

Legacy

His grandson,

John Motley Morehead III John Motley Morehead III (November 3, 1870 – January 7, 1965) was an American chemist, politician, and diplomat. As a chemist, his work provided much of the foundation for the business of Union Carbide Corporation. The Union Carbide and Ca ...

(United States Ambassador to Sweden 1930–33), bequeathed to the University of North Carolina $130 million, commissioned the university's planetarium, and funded the John Motley Morehead Foundation. His granddaughter

Lily Morehead Mebane Lily Connally Morehead Mebane (August 13, 1869 – June 15, 1943) was an American relief worker, politician, and heiress. During World War I, she chaired the Rockingham County Committee of the North Carolina Division of the Woman's Committee of t ...

was decorated by the governments of France and Serbia for her relief work after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

; she later served two terms in the North Carolina state legislature.

Governor Morehead School Governor Morehead School (GMS), formerly North Carolina State School for the Blind and Deaf, is a K–12 public school for the blind in Raleigh, North Carolina. In the era of de jure educational segregation in the United States, it served blind peo ...

, a state school for the blind, is named after him. He is the namesake of

Morehead City Morehead City is a port town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast. His ...

, a major city in Eastern North Carolina.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morehead, John Motley 1796 births 1866 deaths Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States 19th-century American politicians Governors of North Carolina North Carolina Whigs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni People of North Carolina in the American Civil War Whig Party state governors of the United States Morehead family Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives People from Greensboro, North Carolina American slave owners 19th-century American businesspeople