Because this is the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it might be interesting to learn about some people from our area or others from our state who are well-known here and are connected to the Revolutionary War or other events during that time period. William R. Davie was one such person.
Although William Richardson Davie never lived in the county that bears his name, his contributions to North Carolina were significant enough that when a new county was carved from Rowan County in 1836—16 years after his death—it was named Davie County in his honor.
So, who was William R. Davie, and what did he do to earn that distinction?
From England to the Carolinas
Davie was born on June 22, 1756, in County Cumberland, England, to Archibald and Mary Richardson Davie. In 1764, the family moved to the Waxhaws region, an area between Charlotte and Lancaster, South Carolina, famous because it was the area in which President Andrew Jackson was born.
Davie was an excellent student who graduated from what is now Princeton University.
A Revolutionary War Soldier
After his graduation, Davie served in the Revolutionary War. He was seriously wounded in 1779 and spent months reading law in Salisbury while recovering.
After he recovered, he returned to military service, formed a cavalry unit and rose to the rank of colonel. He later served under the famous General Nathanael Greene and became commissary general during the closing stages of the Revolutionary War.
His military service was only the beginning of a public career that would have a lasting impact on North Carolina.
From Soldier to Statesman
After the war, Davie practiced law, earning a reputation as an excellent attorney. He eventually moved to Halifax and was elected to the House of Commons in 1784 as a conservative.
In 1787, he was selected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia but was called away on legal business before the delegates signed the document.
Davie remained a strong supporter of the new Constitution. At North Carolina’s Fayetteville Convention in 1789, he helped guide the effort that resulted in the state’s ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Helping Establish the University of North Carolina
Davie stayed involved in state government, and in 1789 he sponsored legislation to charter the University of North Carolina.
His involvement did not end there. Davie helped secure support for the new university and was involved in its early planning, construction, and selection of faculty. His work was so important to the creation of the university that he became known as the “Father of the University.”
The University of North Carolina opened its doors to students in 1795 and became the first public university in the nation to graduate students.
Governor and Diplomat
Davie continued to serve North Carolina and was elected governor in 1798.
His time as governor was relatively short. President John Adams appointed him as one of three American envoys sent to France to help negotiate an end to the undeclared conflict between France and the United States. Davie later returned to North Carolina before eventually retiring from government at age 50 and moving to his plantation in South Carolina.
A Legacy That Reached Davie County
In 1811, Davie was awarded the first honorary Doctor of Laws degree ever given by the University of North Carolina.
He died on November 5, 1820, and was buried in the family plot at Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church.
Nearly two centuries after Davie County was created, his name remains part of our identity—a reminder of a man whose life was closely tied to the Revolutionary era and the early history of North Carolina.
