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 ...

of 1780-1781 was the fourth elected legislative body of the State of North Carolina. The assembly consisted of a Senate and House of Commons that met in three sessions in at least two locations in the years 1780 and 1781. Each of the existing 50 North Carolina counties were authorized to elect one Senator and two members of the House of Commons. In addition, six districts (also called boroughs) also elected one House member each.Not all counties sent two representatives. Some sent none or one. The first two sessions were probably held 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 ...

in April and September 1780. The third session met in Halifax from January 27, 1781 – February 13, 1781.The journal for the first two sessions have been lost, so the locations or dates cannot be confirmed.

Governor and Councilors of State

In 1780, the General Assembly elected Abner Nash as

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

, as was called for in the

Constitution of North Carolina The Constitution of the State of North Carolina governs the structure and function of the state government of North Carolina, one of the United States; it is the highest legal document for the state and subjugates North Carolina law. All U.S. st ...

. His term of office was extended by an act of the assembly until June 25, 1781. The North Carolina Constitution of 1776 required "that the Senate and House of Commons, jointly, at their first meeting after each annual election, shall by ballot elect seven persons to be a

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

for one year, who shall advise the Governor in the execution of his office." The known

North Carolina Council of State The North Carolina Council of State is the collective body of ten elective executive offices in the state government of North Carolina, all of which are established by the state constitution. The Council of State includes the Governor, Lieut ...

members elected by the General Assembly in 1780 included: *

Joseph Leech Sir Joseph William Leech (1865 – 30 May 1940) was a Unionist Party (now Conservative Party) politician elected as the Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne West between 1931 and 1940. The son of Isaac Leech and Sarah, Leech was chr ...

from Craven County * James Davis * Isaac Guion from Craven County *

James Granger James Granger (1723–1776) was an English clergyman, biographer, and print collector. He is now known as the author of the ''Biographical History of England from Egbert the Great to the Revolution'' (1769). Granger was an early advocate of an ...

Leadership

The House of Commons leadership included the following persons: *

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: ** I ...

Thomas Benbury Thomas Benbury (November 28, 1736 February 6, 1793) was a revolutionary leader in the early formation of the State of North Carolina. He was a member of the North Carolina Provincial Congress, a member of the North Carolina House of Commons fr ...

( Chowan County) * Clerk: John Hunt The Senate leadership included the following: *

: Alexander Martin (

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. S ...

) * Clerk: John Haywood (

Edgecombe County Edgecombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,900. Its county seat is Tarboro. Edgecombe County is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

) * Assistant Clerk: Sherwood Haywood (

)

House and Senate members

New counties created in 1779 included Franklin County, Gates County, Lincoln County, Montgomery County, Randolph County, Richmond County, Rutherford County, Warren County, and Wayne County. Bute County and Tryon County were abolished in 1779. There were no new counties created in 1780 or 1781. There was at least a Senator or one Representative from each county and district. Members of the General Assembly were allowed 55 dollars per day for attendance at sessions.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:North Carolina General Assembly of 1780

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

1780 1780