at the time of his death in Wilmington; he was born at Newfield, his father's plantation in Bladen county, on March 21, 1799. He was the grandson of General Hugh Waddell, of the Regulation War, as also of General Francis Nash, who fell in battle, at Germantown, October 4, 1777.
Our annals do not present any name of a more illustrious ancestry. His father, John Waddell who married Miss Nash, spared no pains to prepare his promising son for the great battle of life. He graduated at the University, (1818) in the same class with James K. Polk, Bishop Greene of Mississippi, Dr. R. H. Morrison, General Thomas J. Green, Hamilton C. Jones, and others. He, for a while, studied medicine but abandoned it for the law, of which profession he became a distinguished member.
He settled in Hillsboro, and there spent a long and laborious life. He went, after the war, to Wilmington and there remained with his son, Hon. A. M. Waddell, until his death.
He was fond of public life and was a favorite with the people. He represented Orange county in 1828 in the Commons, and in 1844, and '46 in the Senate, of which he was, in 1836-37 the Speaker. He was a gifted debater, a warm partisan (for he lived in party times); and very decided in his views. In private life he was genial, generous and gentle.
He died at Wilmington on Saturday, November 2, 1878. He was the third of five brothers of whom three survived him: Maurice Q. Waddell of Chatham county; Francis N. Waddell of Orange, and Alfred M. Waddell of Louisiana.
His sons are Dr. Douglas Waddell of Chatham; Hon. Alfred M. Waddell; Hugh Waddell now of Washington, and Cameron Waddell of Marion, South Carolina.
Alfred M. Waddell, son of Hugh Waddell, of whom we have just given a brief sketch, was born in Hillsboro, September 16, 1834. His education was conducted at Bingham's school, the Caldwell Institute at Hillsboro, and at the University, where he graduated in 1853. He studied Law; was Clerk of the Court of Equity for New Hanover county; delegate in 1860 to the National Convention which nominated John Bell for President, and Edward Everett for Vice President of the United States; Editor of the Wilmington "Daily Herald" for one year, 1860; served in the Confederate Army as Lieutenant Colonel of Cavalry; elected to Congress, (42nd, 43rd, 44th) 1871-79, and served as Chairman, in the latter Congress, of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, the duties of which he discharged with singular ability, and unspotted integrity. He was a candidate for the 46th Congress, but from over-confidence on the part of his friends in his success, and unusual zeal on the part of the opposition, he was defeated by Daniel L. Russell.
Colonel Waddell, however, possesses qualities that well fit him for public stations; scrupulous integrity, high qualifications and laborious habits, combined with an amiable disposition and an accommodating temper. He has been twice married and has an interesting family.
Owen Holmes (born 1796--died
1841) was distinguished as a lawyer and statesman; he was Elector for President
in 1826 and voted for Van Buren. He was elected one of the Judges of the
Superior Courts in 1836, by the Legislature, which elevated position he declined
to accept. He died at Wilmington, June 1841, of
John Cowan was the eldest son of Colonel Thomas Cowan, one of the old settlers of Willington. He began life as a merchant, but soon abandoned this to accept the position of Cashier of the Wilmington Branch of the State Bank, which position he held at the time of his death, being then but thirty-five. He was much esteemed for his amiable qualities, his courtly manners, and his admirable business talents.
Edward B. Dudley long resided in Wilmington, but he was a native of Onslow county, where his father was a wealthy planter. In spite
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