Memucan Hunt (1729–1808) was an early

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

statesman and the first person to hold the position of

North Carolina State Treasurer The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Dale Folwell. The office of state treasur ...

in its current form.

Biography

Early life

Memucan Hunt was born in 1729 in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Career

He moved to

Granville County Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford. Granville County encompasses Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Are ...

(now Vance), where he became a planter. He owned nearly 16,000 acres (65 km²) of land, 22 slaves, two horses, four mares, 14 head of cattle and 33 hogs. At the age of 41, in 1770, Hunt was chosen Sergeant-at-Arms of 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 and in 1773 was elected as Representative to the Assembly from Granville County. When the spirit of independence began to rise in the colony, Hunt represented Granville County in the five Provincial Congresses. In 1777, with the War for Independence underway, the fiscal needs of the colony were among its greatest concerns. Hunt was appointed Treasurer of the Hillsborough district, one of six district treasurers in the State at that time. He continued to hold office 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 ...

and in 1779 was elected to the State Senate, serving as a member of the Committee of Accounts. In November 1783, the General Assembly, in session at New Bern, abolished the district treasurer offices and established the singular fiscal position of State Treasurer and elected Hunt to fill the post. He took office on January 1, 1784, at a salary of 500 pounds per year. During his term in office, he unwittingly honored fraudulent claims for military service stemming from the Revolutionary War (paying too generously soldiers who had fought in the Revolutionary War, and in some cases, paying soldiers who had not fought at all), which resulted in both litigation and hearings by the General Assembly. While he was not charged with malfeasance, he was defeated for re-election in 1787 by John Haywood. Hunt retired from politics to

, where he became a wealthy planter and served as justice of the peace until 1792.

Death

He died in 1808.

Legacy

His grandson,

Memucan Hunt, Jr. Memucan Hunt (August 7, 1807 – June 5, 1856) was the first Minister of Texas to the United States, Texas Secretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Texas Navy, and an unsuccessful candidate for President of the Republic of Texas, Vice-President o ...

, was the namesake for

Hunt County, Texas Hunt County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,956. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is named for Memucan Hunt, Jr., the first Republic of Texas Minister to the United States from 183 ...

.Handbook of Texas Online - HUNT, MEMUCAN
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Memucan 1729 births 1808 deaths People from Virginia People from Vance County, North Carolina State treasurers of North Carolina American planters American slave owners American justices of the peace Members of the North Carolina Provincial Congresses 18th-century American politicians