History of Orange County North Carolina United States of America

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John W. Hall, educator, was born in Orange county, N.C., Jan. 19, 1802. He studied theology with Dr. Gideon Blackburn and was licensed to preach by the presbytery of West Tennessee, in October, 1824. He was an evangelist in West Tennessee, 1824-26, and pastor at Murfreesboro, Tenn., 1826-30, and at Gallatin, Tenn., 1830-40. He organized and was president of a female seminary at Gallatin, 1837-40; was pastor at Dayton, Ohio, 1840-52, and at Huntsville, Ala., 1852-54. He was president of Miami university, 1854-66, and superintendent of schools at Covington, Ky., 1866-76. He died Jan. 6, 1886.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Woods Holden, governor of North Carolina, was born in Orange county, N.C., Nov. 24, 1818. His school training was limited to the district school till he was sixteen years old, when he entered a printing office, where he served, 1834-36. He studied law in Raleigh, N.C., 1836-41, and was admitted to the bar in 1841. He purchased the Raleigh Standard and published it, 1843-68. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1846-47; met with the governors of Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina, and prominent citizens of these states, at Raleigh, N.C., at the time of the state fair in the fall of 1856, to consider what action might be necessary on the part of the slaveholding states in the event of the election of John C. Fremont as President, which meeting was the first movement leading to secession in 1861. He was a member of the secession convention of May 20, 1861, and signed the ordinance of secession. He was a state commissioner for the establishment of the Deaf and Dumb institute and the State Insane asylum. He was appointed by President Johnson provisional governor of North Carolina in 1865, at the same time Jonathan Worth was elected by the people. A dual government resulted, which existed for a time, when Governor Worth was recognized and held the office till 1868, when Holden was elected by the people, and held the office until he was impeached by the state senate in 1870. The impeachment trial was the culmination of a period of great political excitement accompanied by riot and bloodshed. Governor Holden had placed several counties under martial law and called out the state militia to enforce the same. He had vainly applied to the President of the United States for Federal troops to maintain order and put down insurrection, and then, on Nov. 10, 1870, had withdrawn all show of martial force and proclaimed the restoration of civil authority. On the meeting of the state legislature, Dec. 20, 1870, the house of representatives presented eight articles of impeachment against the governor for high crimes and misdemeanors, to the senate, which body summoned the governor to appear and answer. The state was represented by its prosecuting officers and by former-Governor Thomas Bragg, and the defendant was represented by equally able counsel and the trial resulted in his being "removed from the office of governor and disqualified to hold any office of honor, trust or profit under the state of North Carolina." He removed to Washington, D.C., where he was editor of the National Republican, 1871-73. He then returned to Raleigh, having been appointed by the President, postmaster of that city, and he held the office till 1884. He died in Raleigh, N.C., March 1, 1892.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Orange County North Carolina

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