Hagan follows in Martin’s footsteps
The following is a Counterpoint.
By Charles D. Rodenbough
As I was enjoying the thorough coverage in the News & Record the swearing in of North Carolina’s new senator, Kay Hagan (Jan. 11), I was suddenly taken up short by the statement beside a photograph that she was the first resident of Guilford County elected to the U.S. Senate.
Hagan deserves all the plaudits as our new senator; the trouble is, she is the second U.S. senator from Guilford.
In 1777, Alexander Martin settled his mother and family on Dan River in the northern third of Guilford County. In 1778, he was elected to the N.C. Senate from Guilford and was re-elected for the next four years, becoming speaker of the Senate in 1780. Since there was then no lieutenant governor, when Gov. Thomas Burke was captured at Hillsborough, Alexander Martin became acting governor (from Guilford). The next year, he was elected governor and re-elected for two more one-year terms (from Guilford). When his term limit was up, he was re-elected to the Senate and immediately made speaker again (from Guilford).
During this time, he and his brother-in-law, Thomas Henderson, purchased several hundred acres surrounding the site of Guilford Courthouse and laid out the town of Martinsville. The town incorporated the courthouse and Martin’s home. Still of Guilford, he then was chosen one of the five delegates of North Carolina to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. He was returned to the Senate speakership for two years until he was again elected governor (from Guilford) for three more years.
In his last year as governor, he was elected U.S. senator (from Guilford). When he finished his term as senator, he made his home with his mother on the Dan River, which by then had become part of Rockingham County. There, after serving yet again as speaker of the N.C. Senate (from Rockingham), he died in 1807.
How can we forget that Alexander Martin was the first U.S. senator for North Carolina from Guilford County? No single person in the state served more continuously in high office during this 19-year period when this country was being born out of war. Guilford County has no more significant public figure in its history. Nathanael Greene probably spent about a week in Guilford County in his whole life, but we recognized him with two statues.
Perhaps one of the accomplishments of Sen. Hagan will be to see that her home county finally finds a proper way to honor our own Founding Father, Alexander Martin, so that we won’t run the risk of forgetting his accomplishments.
The writer lives in Greensboro and is the author of “Governor Alexander Martin, Biography of a North Carolina Revolutionary War Statesman.”
Editor’s note: Charles Rodenbough and the caption in the News & Record are both correct, in our opinion. Guilford County resident Alexander Martin was elected to the U.S. Senate by the N.C. Legislature as required at that time by the U.S. Constitution. Hagan is the first elected directly by the people as called for by the 17th Amendment. More properly, however, Hagan should be referred to as the first U.S. senator from Greensboro.
Comments (2)
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Interesting history lesson. I'm confused about his brother in law purchasing land around the Guilford Courthouse and "laying out the town of Martinsville". He said the town did incorporate. So Greensboro used to be Martinsville?
Does Martinsville, VA have anything to do with this family?
I hope Mr. Rodenbough visits the blog.
Posted on January 20, 2009 5:56 AM
Dan: The paper misspelled the name of the town. It was Martinville, without the "s." My husband wrote the article, and had a difficult time convincing the editors that his information was correct, and I see they are still nitpicking. I may have more comments once he has read how the counterpoint was printed and the editorial comments following it.
Posted on January 20, 2009 9:12 AM