Nash, Abner, 1740-1786

Abner Nash (August 8, 1740 – December 2, 1786) was an American lawyer and statesman. He notably served as the second Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina between 1781 and 1782 before representing North Carolina in the Continental Congress from 1782 until his death.

Born at Templeton Manor, his family's plantation in Prince Edward County in the Colony of Virginia, Nash attended rural schools and read law before being admitted to the bar in Virginia. He began his political career there, serving in the House of Burgesses from 1761 to 1762. Nash moved to North Carolina in 1762 or 1763, settling in Halifax County. Nash served in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1764 and 1765 and from 1770 to 1771. After moving to New Bern in 1771 and establishing a plantation, Pembroke, nearby, Nash represented New Bern in the rebel "provincial congress" assembled from 1774, and in 1776 was a member of the committee that drafted the state's new constitution. He became a member of the North Carolina House of Commons in 1777 (serving as the first Speaker of that house) and the North Carolina State Senate in 1779.

He was elected governor by the legislature in 1780. During his brief tenure as governor, North Carolina saw some of its worst conflicts as a battleground in the American Revolutionary War. While Governor, the state assembly appointed Richard Caswell as commander-in-chief (Major General) of the North Carolina militia and state troops, even though the constitution assigned this responsibility to the governor. Then in December 1780 they named a Council Extraordinary that further encroached on his office. Consequently, Nash resigned and went home in spring 1781. Later in 1781, North Carolina eased political tensions by sending Nash as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He would serve there the rest of his life, as he died at a session in New York City. Abner was originally buried in St. Paul's Churchyard in Manhattan, but his body was later returned for burial in a private, family plot at Pembroke.