George Burrington

George Burrington

George Burrington (c. 1682-February 22, 1759) was the governor of the North Carolina colony, from January 1724 to April 1725, and again from February 1731 to 1734.

Not especially well educated or otherwise qualified for the job, Burrington gained his office by family influence. He was known principally for physically threatening other North Carolina officials, including most notably Chief Justice Christopher Gale. The Lords Proprietors of Carolina replaced him as governor because so many colonists complained about his behavior.

However, Burrington's successor, Richard Everard, proved even more unpopular with the people of North Carolina and they eventually requested that Burrington be re-appointed. When the Crown bought the colony back from the Lords Proprietors in 1729, Burrington was appointed as the first royal governor of North Carolina. He was instrumental in exploring and settling the Cape Fear area of the colony and resided in Brunswick Town.

He acquired a large tract of land in what is now Alamance County, but his son, also named George, sold his North Carolina inheritance to Samuel Strudwick in order to clear debts incurred by the elder Burrington with the Strudwick family. Somewhat coincidentally, the largest city in Alamance County is now named Burlington, North Carolina.

Burrington's 1731-34 term was almost as controversial as his earlier one, and he was again dismissed. He later returned to England and was killed in an apparent robbery attempt on February 22, 1759 in St James's Park, London.

External links

* [http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?sp=Markers&sv=D-32 North Carolina Historical Marker]
* [http://photos.historical-markers.org/v/northcarolina/nc-pender/006_0389.jpg.html Photo of Historical marker for Governor Burrington]
* [http://www.carolana.com/NC/Royal_Colony/gburrington.html Carolana.com biography]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Burrington Combe — Infobox SSSI name=Burrington Combe aos=Avon interest=Biological and Geological gridref=gbmappingsmall|ST478583 area=convert|139.1|ha|acre|1 notifydate=1952 http://www.natureonthemap.org.uk/map.aspx? ] Burrington Combe (gbmapping|ST478583) is a… …   Wikipedia

  • Sir Richard Everard, 4th Baronet — (c. 1683 February 17 1733), was the last Governor of North Carolina under proprietary rule, serving in that capacity from 1725 to 1731.The previous governor, George Burrington, had been removed from office in 1725 by the Lords Proprietors,… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Somerset CCC players — This is a list of all cricketers who have played first class or list A cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club to the end of the 2007 season. Click on the CA to access the [http://cricketarchive.com Cricket Archive] entry for the player. Seasons …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Eden — 2nd Governor of the Colony of North Carolina In office 1713–1722 Preceded by Edward Hyde Succeeded by William Reed Personal details Born …   Wikipedia

  • Nathaniel Rice — (ca. 1694 died before 29 January 1753) was the acting colonial governor of North Carolina for two short periods during the 18th century. A native of England, Rice arrived in North Carolina with his family by 1728, having secured commissions as… …   Wikipedia

  • List of colonial governors of North Carolina — This is a list of the colonial governors of the Province of North Carolina and preceding British colonies in the same region.Roanoke Colony, 1585 1587* Ralph Lane, 1585 1586 * John White, 1587 = Proprietary Colony, 1664 1731 = Governors of… …   Wikipedia

  • Moore family (Carolinas) — The Moore family was a prominent political family of North and South Carolina during the 18th and 19th centuries. They are believed to be related to or descended from Roger O Moore, a leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1641. The family is most… …   Wikipedia

  • 1731 — Year 1731 (MDCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11 day slower Julian calendar). Events of 1731 January June * March 16 The… …   Wikipedia

  • Beer Street and Gin Lane — are two prints issued in 1751 by English artist William Hogarth in support of what would become the Gin Act. Designed to be viewed alongside each other, they depict the evils of the consumption of gin as a contrast to the merits of drinking beer …   Wikipedia

  • Brunswick Town, North Carolina — Brunswick Town is a colonial ghost town located beside the Cape Fear River in Smithville Township, Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Brunswick Town was the first settlement in the Cape Fear region, a major North Carolina port in… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”