Waddell, Alfred M. (Alfred Moore), 1834-1912

Alfred M. Waddell was an author, historian, lawyer, Confederate Army officer, United States Representative, 1871-1879, and mayor of Wilmington, N.C., 1898-1905.

Alfred M. Waddell (1834-1912) was an lawyer, Confederate Army officer, journalist, author, orator, United States Representative, 1871-1879, and mayor of Wilmington, N.C., 1898-1905. Born in Hillsborough, N.C., Waddell attended the Bingham School and the Caldwell Institute, and later graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1853. He practiced law in Wilmington, N.C., and served in the Confederate Army as lieutenant colonel of the 3rd Cavalry, 41st North Carolina Infantry during the Civil War. Waddell served four terms as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from 1871 to 1879. After his reelection campaign failed in 1878, Waddell resumed his law practice in Wilmington, N.C., and engaged in various literary and historical pursuits. He served a brief stint as editor of the Charlotte Journal-Observer, 1881-1882, and was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1880 and 1896. During the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot, Waddell led the white citizens group that forced the Republican mayor and city council to resign. After the insurrection, Waddell was installed as mayor of Wilmington, a position he held until 1905. As mayor, Waddell helped reestablished white control of the city, which ultimately led to the resurgence of the Democratic Party in the state. He died on 17 March 1912 and was interred at Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington, N.C.

Publications by Alfred M. Waddell include: A Colonial Officer and His Times, 1754-1773: A Biographical Sketch of General Hugh Waddell of North Carolina (1890), Some Memories of My Life (1908), and A History of New Hanover County and the Lower Cape Fear Region, 1723-1800 (1909).

Note adapted from the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography (1996), vol. 6, edited by William S. Powell.