- Gabriel Johnston
Gabriel Johnston (1699- August 1752) was the colonial Governor of North Carolina from 1734 to 1752, the longest-serving governor in state history.
Early life
Johnston was born in 1699 in
Scotland , the son of Reverend Samuel Johnston and Isobel Hall (per “Earldom of Annandale and Hartfell” ordered by the House of Lords to be printed July 23, 1985). He attended theUniversity of St. Andrews , where he trained to become a physician. However, he apparently never took up the practice of medicine and instead became a professor of Oriental languages at his alma mater. He next made his way to London, where he became a political pundit and commentator, a member of the opposition toRobert Walpole .Governor of North Carolina
In 1734 Johnston was appointed Governor of
North Carolina . He arrived to a warm welcome in early November. Johnston would marry Penelope Eden, the stepdaughter of former North Carolina GovernorCharles Eden . When Penelope Johnston died, Governor Johnston married again in 1751 a widow, Frances Button.During his tenure as governor, Johnston presided over a colony short of cash, hampered by bitter partisanship in its assembly, threatened by Spanish privateers who plundered the coast, and in disagreement over land rights and taxes. He came under pressure for allegedly not corresponding with British authorities in London, but he cleared his name. Johnston encouraged thousands of immigrants to settle in North Carolina (the first of which were
Highland Scots ), oversaw the first printing of the laws of the colony, and pushed legislation strengthening the Anglican Church. He was a firm defender of union with Britain, in the face of a growing sentiment for independence.Governor Johnston died in August 1752 in Chowan County, North Carolina.
Johnston County, North Carolina is named after him.###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Governor of the Royal Colony of North Carolina
before=Nathaniel Rice (acting)
after=Nathaniel Rice (acting)
years=1734 – 1752
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