Richard Dobbs Spaight

Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr. (1796 – November 17, 1850) was an American politician and planter who served as the 27th governor of North Carolina from 1835 to 1836. His father, Richard Dobbs Spaight, served as the eighth governor of North Carolina from 1792 to 1795.

Biography Born in New Bern, North Carolina, Richard Dobbs Spaight Jr. was the son of Richard Dobbs Spaight. He was orphaned in 1802, when his father was killed in a duel; he later attended the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1815. Spaight studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1818; he was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1819 and the North Carolina Senate in 1820, where he served until being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1823.

Defeated for re-election to Congress, Spaight returned to the state legislature. He made repeated unsuccessful attempts to run for governor, defeated in 1827 (by James Iredell Jr.), 1828 (by John Owen), 1830, 1831 (by Montfort Stokes) and 1832 (by David Swain). Spaight was finally successful in 1835, becoming the last governor elected by the General Assembly under the North Carolina Constitution of 1776. As governor, he opposed state-funded internal improvements. Under the new North Carolina Constitution of 1835, Spaight ran in the first statewide popular election for governor, but was defeated by Edward B. Dudley. The Spaights were the first father and son to serve as governor. W. Kerr Scott and Robert W. Scott later achieved the same distinction. Spaight retired to his farm near New Bern.