Davie, William Richardson

US (English-born) lawyer and politician

1756 - Born in Egremont Parish, Cumberland County, England, on the 22nd of June to Archibald and Mary Richardson Davie.

1771 - Davie traveled to North Carolina at the age of fifteen to studied at Queen's College in Charlotte.

1774 - Enrolled at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University).

1776 - Received his bachelor's degree at the College of New Jersey.

1777 - He left Salisbury to join 1,200 militiamen led by Brigadier General Allen Jones of Northampton County.

1779 - He closed his law books again to reenter military service.

       - On 20th of June, he led a charge against British forces at the Battle of Stono Ferry outside Charleston.

       - Obtained a license to practice law in North Carolina.

1780 - He led that mounted force in several actions during the summer.

1786-1798 - He was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons on multiple occasions.

1787 - Served as a member of the Constitutional Convention.

1789-1807 - Founder and served as board of trustees of University of North Carolina.

1797 - Appointed brigadier general in the U.S. Army by President John Adams.

1798-1799 - Elected Governor of North Carolina.

1798 - Served as president of University of North Carolina.

1799 - He resigned as the state's chief executive.

       - President Adams enlisted him to serve on a peace commission to France.

1803 - He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives but ended unsuccessful.

1804 - In the election, he placed second to Alston with an unofficial write-in campaign.

1805-1806 - Davie, unsuccessful in a run for the U.S. House of Representatives.

1812 - Davie served in the army, but declined an offer from President James Madison to command the American forces.

1820 - He died on 5th of November in his Tivoli estate.

1836 - Davie County, North Carolina is named in his memory.