Gabriel Holmes

Gabriel Holmes (born around 1769 in Clinton , Province of North Carolina , † September 26, 1829 ibid) was an American politician and the 21st  governor of the state of North Carolina.

Early years and political advancement

Gabriel Holmes received his education at the Zion Parnassus Academy . He later studied at Harvard University . After successfully completing his law degree, he was admitted to the bar in 1790. He then opened a law firm in his hometown of Clinton.

In 1794 he was elected to the House of Representatives of North Carolina , where he remained until 1795. From 1797 to 1802 and again from 1812 to 1813, he sat in the Senate of his home state. In 1821 he was elected Governor of North Carolina by the State Parliament to succeed Jesse Franklin .

Governor and Congressman

After his election in 1821, Holmes was confirmed in office in the two following years. This enabled him to take full advantage of the constitutional limit of three consecutive terms of office. His term of office began on December 7, 1821 and ended on December 7, 1824. During this time, a school tax was introduced to finance the improvement of the school system. Otherwise, the governor cut government spending to relieve the budget. In addition, he promoted agriculture.

After the end of his third and final term in December 1824, he was elected to the US House of Representatives. He took up this mandate on March 4, 1825 and held it as representative of the fifth Congressional electoral district of North Carolina until his death in September 1829. Gabriel Holmes was married to Mary Smith Hunter, with whom he had six children. His son Theophilus H. Holmes was a lieutenant general in the Confederate army .

Web links

• Gabriel Holmes in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Gabriel Holmes in the National Governors Association (English)
• Gabriel Holmes in the database of Find a Grave (English)