Carson, Samuel Price, 1798-1838

Politician Samuel Price Carson (1798-1838) was born to Col. John and Mary (Moffit) Carson, in Pleasant Gardens, North Carolina. John represented Burke County in the North Carolina General Assembly for many years. Educated by his older brother Joseph, Samuel Carson was elected to the North Carolina Senate in 1822.

Two years later, Carson ran for U. S. Senate against Robert B. Vance, who charged that Carson’s father was a traitor during the Revolutionary War. Carson challenged Vance to a duel and prepared by training with David Crocket in Tennessee. In 1827, the duel finally took place in Saluda Gap, South Carolina, and Carson mortally wounded Vance with his first shot.

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