Difference between revisions of "Kemp Plummer"

Revision as of 11:00, 16 September 2015

Kemp Plummer was born in Gloucester County, Virginia to William Plummer II and Mary Hayes. He grew up in Virginia with his five siblings until his father's death in 1774. Afterwards, Plummer's mother moved the family to North Carolina to take advantage of "the cheaper lands and the superior healthiness of the hill country of North Carolina." ^[2]

Plummer attended Hampden-Sydney College and graduated in 1786 as part of the first class to receive diplomas from the new school. Plummer then attended the College of William and Mary, and studied law with George Wythe. ^[3] Significantly, Plummer appears to be the only person to have studied law with George Wythe out of the 3,551 persons included in the Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography. ^[4] Rather than staying to practice law in Virginia, Plummer moved back to Warrenton, North Carolina and became licensed to join the bar in there. ^[5] Plummer opened a law office there in Warrenton, which was the county seat and where Plummer's mother bought a plantation ca. 1790. ^[6] However, Plummer also practiced law in all the counties surrounding Warren County and was extremely popular with both clients and associates. He even become known as "the honest lawyer," and was praised for his "singing and story-telling abilities, his generosity, and his convivial disposition [which] attracted all classes." In 1794, Plummer married Susanna Martin and together their hospitality became legendary in the upper Roanoke area and they dominated North Carolina's political life. Among their circle were such politicians as Nathaniel Macon, James Turner, Weldon Edwards, William Hawkins, and William Miller. ^[7]

In that same year of 1794, Plummer represented Warren County in the House of Commons. But by the 1810's, Plummer had attained even higher recognition. In 1815 and 1816, Plummer represented Warren County in the state Senate. He chaired James Monroe's campaign organization in Raleigh, and became "dispenser of Republican patronage in the state." ^[8] And, from 1817 until his death, Plummer served as a trustee of the University of North Carolina. In 1820, Plummer was even offered the governorship, but he turned it down due to the expenses attached with the title. Throughout all of this, however, Plummer and his large family continued to live off of Plummer's legal practice. ^[9]

Plummer died from gout in his mid-fifties, and his wife died twelve years later. He was survived by his children Anne, Mary, Henry, William, Austin, Bettie, Lucy, Kemp, Alfred, Susanna, and Thomas. His grandson, Kemp Plummer Battle, achieved fame as the president of the University of North Carolina. After Plummer and Susanna's deaths, the citizens of Warrenton bought their home and converted it into the Warrenton Female College. ^[10]

Further Reading

(1) Kemp Plummer Battle, "An Old Time Lawyer," North Carolina Law Journal, Vol. 2, No. 9 (1901-1902), pp. 255-260, accessed online September 2, 2015, http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/nclj2&div=64&g_sent=1&collection=journals#.

See also

Wythe the teacher

References

1. ↑ Daniel M. McFarland, "Kemp Plummer," in Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography, ed. William S. Powell (University of North Carolina Press, 2000), Vol. 5, 104.
2. ↑ Daniel M. McFarland, "Kemp Plummer," in Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography, ed. William S. Powell (University of North Carolina Press, 2000), Vol. 5, 104; Kemp Plummer Battle, "An Old Time Lawyer," North Carolina Law Journal, Vol. 2, No. 9 (1901-1902), pp. 255-260, accessed online September 2, 2015, http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/nclj2&div=64&g_sent=1&collection=journals#.
3. ↑ Daniel M. McFarland, "Kemp Plummer," in Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography, ed. William S. Powell (University of North Carolina Press, 2000), Vol. 5, 104.
4. ↑ Steve Sheppard, The History of Legal Education in the United States: Commentaries and Primary Sources, Volume 1 (The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., 2006).
5. ↑ Daniel M. McFarland, "Kemp Plummer," in Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography, ed. William S..OL/Page?handle=hein.journals/nclj2&div=64&g_sent=1&collection=journals#.
6. ↑ Kemp Plummer Battle, "An Old Time Lawyer," North Carolina Law Journal, Vol. 2, No. 9 (1901-1902), pp. 255-260, accessed online September 2, 2015, http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/nclj2&div=64&g_sent=1&collection=journals#.
7. ↑ Daniel M. McFarland, "Kemp Plummer," in Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography, ed. William S. Powell (University of North Carolina Press, 2000), Vol. 5, 104.
8. ↑ Daniel M. McFarland, "Kemp Plummer," in Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography, ed. William S. Powell (University of North Carolina Press, 2000), Vol. 5, 104.
9. ↑ Daniel M. McFarland, "Kemp Plummer," in Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography, ed. William S. Powell (University of North Carolina Press, 2000), Vol. 5, 104.
10. ↑ Daniel M. McFarland, "Kemp Plummer," in Dictionary of North Carolinian Biography, ed. William S. Powell (University of North Carolina Press, 2000), Vol. 5, 104.