Richard Clinton (1720–1795) was an officer in the Continental Army during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, a

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 and a prominent citizen of Sampson County.

Early life and career

Richard Clinton is thought to be the step-son of

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 ...

John Sampson (a member of the council for Josiah Martin) who it is thought to have moved to the Wilmington, North Carolina area around 1736.

John Sampson may have married Clinton's mother sometime after 1741 when Clinton was born, but there are no historical records to indicate this. It is more likely that Richard is either the son of John Clinton and Elisobeth (1733) or of Thomas Clinton and Elinor (1720). Around 1762, Clinton's step-father John Sampson built a home on a

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

he purchased near the present day town of Clinton, North Carolina. At this point in history, this area was still a part of Duplin County; however residents had to go many miles east to the nearest courthouse. After the family's move into Duplin County, Richard Clinton became the

for the county from 1773-1883. Richard Clinton represented Duplin County in the Third North Carolina Provincial Congress in 1775. After the establishment of the Independent State Government of North Carolina by the Halifax Constitution in 1776, Richard Clinton became one of the earliest members of 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 ...

. It was during his tenure in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

that Clinton was able to secure the passage of a bill that created Sampson County from the western portion of Duplin County. Richard Clinton proposed the name of "Sampson" for the new county in honor of his step-father. In 1784, this new act was passed by the

and the first courts were ordered to take place at the home of James Myland just west of the current town of Clinton, North Carolina.

Revolutionary War Service and actions

Just before the start of the Revolutionary War, Clinton's step-father John Sampson was a

in the Provincial North Carolina Army for 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 ...

in support of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. A few short years later however in 1777, the Oath of Allegiance and Abjuration was passed by the

that required all state and some county Government officials to sign swearing their oath to support the newly independent State of North Carolina. Richard Clinton did indeed sign this oath; however his step-father John Sampson did not, indicating that there may have been a conflict of interest of who the family would support: the British Crown, or the newly independent state. Richard Clinton was called upon by Duplin County to raise a

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

of men and was commissioned a Captain at first, then later a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in the Continental Army in order to serve in support of the American forces. From 1776 to 1781, all was generally quite within the county, and the militia's primary job was to put down any

insurrection Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

among the local

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

population; a task he accomplished with his brother-in-law

Kenan. After

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

marched his troops through the county in April 1781, much of the population was pestered by an emblazoned

population.

s Clinton and Kenan, marched their troops directly up to the forces of

in small guerrilla styled surprise attacks that left many British Soldiers and prisoners taken by the Colonels dead. This "crackdown" on the

of the

tories A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

proved to be the pivotal event that prevented any further violence in the county.

Establishment of the Town of Clinton

Upon the creation of the new Sampson County, 5 acres of land was purchase by the county from Richard Clinton on which one acre was to be for the construction of the new Courthouse, and the other five acres to be sold as lots to pay for the construction of the new courthouse. This area came to be known as Clinton Courthouse on maps as early as 1790, and was to become the center of the future town of Clinton, North Carolina which was chartered in 1822.

Legacy

Richard Clinton died January 22, 1795, in what appears to have been a sudden and untimely death as he left no recorded will. His wife went on to use their home as a public ordinary for use by the various people coming and going from the county courthouse. Clinton had many children, all of whom became pillars in their respective communities. Many of his sons served as officers in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, and went on to other parts of

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 ...

and the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

to lead in their respective local governments. The town of Clinton, North Carolina was named in honor of this

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

of the county.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clinton, Richard People from Sampson County, North Carolina Members of the North Carolina General Assembly Continental Army officers from North Carolina 1741 births 1795 deaths People from Clinton, North Carolina Members of the North Carolina Provincial Congresses 18th-century American politicians