Matthias Evans Manly (1801–1881) was a jurist who served as a justice of the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

from 1860 to 1865. He was the brother of North Carolina Governor

Charles Manly Charles Manly (May 13, 1795May 1, 1871) was a lawyer who served as the 31st governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1849 to 1851. He was the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office. After one two-year term, Manly was defea ...

and the son-in-law of state Supreme Court Judge

William Gaston William J. Gaston (September 19, 1778 – January 23, 1844) was a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina. Gaston is the author of the official state song of North Carolina, "The Old North State". Gaston County, North Carolin ...

. Manly graduated from 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 ...

(where he would later serve as a Trustee) in 1824. He practiced law in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...

, was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons for a term, and served as a

North Carolina Superior Court The Superior Court is North Carolina's general jurisdiction trial court. It was established in 1777 and is North Carolina's oldest court. Jurisdiction and administration The Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in North Caroli ...

judge for approximately twenty years, before being named to the Supreme Court.NCpedia
/ref> He filled the seat left vacant by Justice

Thomas Ruffin Thomas Ruffin (1787–1870) was an American jurist and justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1829 to 1852 and again from 1858 to 1859. He was chief justice of that Court from 1833 to 1852. Biography Thomas Ruffin was born on November ...

's second retirement. Shortly after the end of the Civil War, Manly was forced to give up his seat on the Supreme Court but was elected in 1866 to the North Carolina Senate, where he served as

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

. The state legislature elected Manly to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, but he was not allowed to take his seat. He later became mayor of New Bern.

References

Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court North Carolina state senators 1801 births 1881 deaths Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub