Nathaniel Alexander (March 5, 1756March 7, 1808) was an American physician and politician who served as the 13th

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 ...

from 1805 to 1807.

Biography

Alexander was born in 1756, in what was at the time known as

Anson County Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,055. Its county seat is Wadesboro. History The county was formed in 1750 from Bladen County. It was named for George Anson, Ba ...

in 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 ...

(his birthplace is located near the modern city of

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

). He was the son of a local sheriff. He earned a bachelor's degree from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1776 and was commissioned as a surgeon in the

North Carolina Line The North Carolina Line refers to North Carolina units within the Continental Army. The term "North Carolina Line" referred to the quota of infantry regiments assigned to North Carolina at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together ...

in 1779. He served through the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

until 1782, and then practiced medicine for a time near

Santee, South Carolina Santee is a town in Orangeburg County along the Santee River Valley in central South Carolina, United States. It has become a resort town of note located centrally north-south along the Atlantic Seaboard of South Carolina. The region has been ru ...

. He was distinguished as a politician but also as a physician, with Toner stating that he was a "physician of eminence in Mecklenburg." Returning to his native North Carolina, Alexander was elected to 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 ...

in 1797, to the

North Carolina 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 ...

in 1801, and to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1803. On November 25, 1805, Alexander was elected governor by 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 served two one-year terms in that office, declining to run for a third. Although a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

, he enjoyed support from the

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as well. As governor, he oversaw the resolution of a boundary dispute with

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, the expansion of the state's district courts, and the growth of the state's educational system. While governor, he was also president of The University of North Carolina Board of Trustees. Only a few months after stepping down as governor, Alexander died in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...

; he is buried in Old Settlers' Cemetery in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He married a daughter of a Colonel Thomas Polk, but the couple was apparently childless.

Notes

References

* ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978'', Robert Sobel and John Raimo, eds. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1978. ()

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Nathaniel 1756 births 1808 deaths People from Concord, North Carolina Governors of North Carolina Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina state senators Continental Army officers from North Carolina Princeton University alumni Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States People of colonial North Carolina 18th-century American physicians University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill people