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North Carolina's Governors
Richard Caswell (1729-1789) was the first governor of the independent state of North Carolina under the Constitution of 1776. Born in Maryland, young Caswell came to the New Bern area in 1745 and soon established permanent residence in the vicinity of present-day Kinston. In addition to work as a surveyor, Caswell became a student of the law and was admitted to the bar in 1759. In 1771 he led the right wing of Governor William Tryon's army in its crushing defeat of the Regulators at the Battle of Alamance. With the approach of the Revolution, Caswell assumed a position of leadership. His defiance of royal rule and assertions of legislative supremacy grew increasingly bold. In February 1776 he led Patriots in the decisive victory over Loyalist forces at Moores Creek Bridge. Caswell served as chairman of the committee to draft the state's constitution at Halifax late in 1776. The same provincial body elected him interim governor. When the Assembly convened in April of the following year, Caswell was elected to the first of three one-year terms. As Governor, Caswell exerted every effort to raise and supply troops for the war effort. He was forced to contend with continual frictions between Indians and settlers on the western frontier, with sporadic British raids along the coast, and with Tory hostilities throughout the state. In November 1784 Caswell was returned to the governorship and again served the maximum three consecutive terms. His second tenure in office was fraught with major difficulties, among them the breakaway "State of Franklin," continuing unrest among the Cherokee, and the troubled constitutional relationship with the federal government. His last years brought progressive deterioration of his health. Caswell won election to the Fayetteville constitutional convention in 1789. He died before the meeting, and was thus was denied the opportunity to vote for ratification. His burial took place near Kinston at his "Red House" plantation.
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