politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
in North Carolina during and after the
American Colonial era
The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...
. After immigrating to the colony from northern Ireland, he settled near Wilmington. He was appointed to local offices, raised a militia to defend against the Spanish Alarm, and served as a Revolutionary War Patriot militia officer. He was an early settler in
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...
John Sampson was born in 1719 and grew up in northern Ireland, and was likely of Scots-Irish or Border English descent. He immigrated as a youth or young man to the colony of North Carolina in North America in the 1730s or 1740s, settling in the
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...
area. He appeared to have become established before the Spanish Alarm of 1747. He developed a farm there, and married and had a family.
Military career
The
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's ...
brought military battle close to Sampson in 1747. He was called upon to raise a militia company of men in
New Hanover County
New Hanover County is one of 100 counties located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702. Though the second-smallest NC county in land area, it is one of the most populous, as its county seat, Wilm ...
to protect against any Spanish raids or invasions from Florida. Spanish forces raided the coastal towns of the Carolinas and Georgia during the period known as the Spanish Alarm, extending into the 1740s.
In 1771, Sampson served as a
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Halifax, North Carolina
Halifax is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 234 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Halifax County. It is known as "The Birthplace of Freedom" for being the location for the April 12, 1776, adopt ...
. Governor Tryon ordered Sampson to raise several hundred men from Duplin County in order to help.
There was widespread fighting and civil disobedience: county
justices of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
, such as future state governor Alexander Martin, were attacked and flogged on the street by Regulators. The Regulator Rebellion forces outnumbered those of the colonial militia by a two to one ratio. Governor Tryon led an attack in what became known as the
Battle of Alamance
The Battle of Alamance, which took place on May 16, 1771, was the final battle of the Regulator Movement, a rebellion in colonial North Carolina over issues of taxation and local control, considered by some to be the opening salvo of the Ameri ...
, which resulted in between 8-12 men killed and as many as 100 wounded. Several of the captains of the Regulator's Militia were taken prisoner and later executed by Tryon. John Sampson appeared to support the Continental Militia during the Revolutionary War.
Political career
Sampson was appointed as the first
Register of Deeds
Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...
for Duplin County for the first two years after the county had been created in 1750 from
New Hanover County, North Carolina
New Hanover County is one of 100 counties located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 225,702. Though the second-smallest NC county in land area, it is one of the most populous, as its county seat, Wi ...
. A decade later, Sampson was elected in 1760 as the first
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of the strategic port of
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...
.
During the administration of Colonial Governor
William Tryon
Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...
, Sampson was a member of his Executive Council. He is believed to have continued in this role after the Halifax Constitution of 1776 was signed and
Richard Caswell
Richard Caswell (August 3, 1729November 10, 1789) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, first and fifth Governor of North Carolina, governor of the U.S. state, state of North Carolina from 1 ...
became Governor of the state.
Legacy
Sampson's step-son Richard Clinton and his biological son, James Sampson, also became important political and military figures during the American Revolution and the early years of the 19th century. Sampson County, North Carolina was named in honor of General John Sampson.