John Ashe

Major General John Ashe (March 24, 1725 – October 24, 1781) was a senior officer of the North Carolina Militia during the American Revolutionary War. Prior to that, he served as the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Burgesses from 1762 to 1765.

Early life and education Ashe was born at Grovely in New Hanover County (present-day Brunswick County), North Carolina, on March 24, 1725, to John Baptista and Elizabeth (née Swann) Ashe. He attended Harvard University but dropped out. Settling northeast of the Cape Fear River, he built a plantation called Green Hill.

Ashe served as a colonel in the North Carolina Militia during the French and Indian War (17541763). In 1752, Ashe was elected to the North Carolina House of Burgesses, serving as speaker of the House of Burgesses from 1762 to 1765. An outspoken opponent of the Stamp Act and eventually a supporter of independence from Great Britain, Ashe served in the North Carolina Provincial Congress and on both the committees of correspondence and safety as hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain began to rise.

Death Returning to Wilmington, he remained active there in suppressing Loyalist activity in the district. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war following the town's occupation in 1781 by the army of General Lord Cornwallis. Contracting smallpox while imprisoned, Ashe was paroled, but died on October 24 in Duplin County (present-day Sampson County), North Carolina shortly after his release from captivity.

Personal life Ashe married Rebecca Moore, sister of Maurice Moore and James Moore. They had four sons: William, Samuel, John, and A'Court and three daughters: Harriet, Eliza, and Mary. One of his sons, John Ashe Jr., served as a captain in the 4th North Carolina Regiment. Governor Samuel Ashe, for whom Asheville, North Carolina, was named, was his younger brother, and other descendants have continued to play a role in North Carolina politics, including Margaret Ashe Pruette, arrested as part of Moral Monday during the 2013 North Carolina legislative protests.