John Motley Morehead was an American lawyer and politician who became the 29th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina. He became known as "the Father of Modern North Carolina."
Occupation
politician, lawyer, governor, jurist
Position held
Governor of North Carolina, member of the North Carolina House of Commons
John Motley Morehead (July 4, 1796 – August 27, 1866) was an American lawyer and politician who became the 29th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina (1841 to 1845). He became known as "the Father of Modern North Carolina."
Early and family life
Born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Morehead was the son of Obedience (Motley) and John Morehead. His parents moved to Rockingham County, North Carolina when Morehead was two.
After a private education including private tutors around Greensboro, Morehead attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There he became a member of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies, and graduated in 1817.
Career
Morehead read law under Archibald Murphey and was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1819. He practiced law in Wentworth, North Carolina. In 1821, Rockingham County voters first elected him to serve in the North Carolina House of Commons. Beginning in 1826, Guilford County voters twice elected Morehead to represent them in the North Carolina House of Commons. In 1835, Morehead was chosen to be a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention, where he advocated representation based on population (which benefitted western North Carolina because of its relatively few enslaved people).
