MacKethan, Edwin R. (Edwin Robeson), 1869-1951

Edwin Robeson MacKethan was born in Fayetteville, N.C., on 7 September 1869. He was graduated from University of North Carolina in 1891. During the 1890s, MacKethan spent several years in Savannah, Ga., but later returned to Fayetteville where he lived and practiced law for the remainder of his life.

During the campaign of 1900, MacKethan was elected president of the White Supremacy Club of Fayetteville and served as Cumberland County's representative to the state legislature. A Democrat, he served in the state senate, 1925-1929, and was later elected mayor of Fayetteville.

From the description of Edwin R. MacKethan papers, 1794-1970, 2003 (bulk 1884-1932) [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 15501724

Edwin R. MacKethan's MacKethan (also McKethan) grandparents were A. A. McKethan (Alfred Alexander McKethan) and Loveday Campbell McAllister McKethan, whose children were Hector McAllister MacKethan (1834-1881); E. T. MacKethan (Edwin Turner MacKethan) (1840-1888), Edwin R. MacKethan's father; and Alfred Augustus MacKethan (1847-1915).

E. T. MacKethan married Janie Wright Robeson. Their children were Edwin R. MacKethan (Edwin Robeson) (1869-1951), Alfred A. MacKethan (Alfred Augustus) (1871-1919), John Alexander MacKethan (1875-1926), David Gillespie MacKethan (1877-1958), and Eliza Street MacKethan (1880-1884).

Edwin R. MacKethan was born at the old Cool Spring Place in Fayetteville, N.C., on 7 September 1869. He entered Davidson College in 1886 and transferred to the University of North Carolina from which he was graduated in 1891. MacKethan also attended law school at UNC, and received the degree of B.L. in 1892.

For a few years in the 1890s, MacKethan lived in Savannah, Ga. He later returned to Fayetteville, where he lived and practiced law for the remainder of his life. He served in the Spanish American War and was an officer in the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry after the war. MacKethan also was commandant with the rank of captain in the Sons of Confederate Veterans and held a number of other honorary positions as well.

During the campaign of 1900, MacKethan was elected president of the White Supremacy Club in Fayetteville, and, that same year, he received the County Convention's nomination for the North Carolina State House of Representatives. The campaign was a hot and vigorous one, resulting in an overwhelming victory for the Democratic Party and the Suffrage Amendment (i.e., the denial of the suffrage to blacks). MacKethan was elected to the state legislature with one of the largest votes ever recorded in Cumberland County.

As the only veteran of the Spanish American War in the General Assembly, MacKethan was selected chair of the House's Committee on Military Affairs. He was also a member of the Judiciary Committee, the Committee on Railroads and Railroad Commission, and several others. MacKethan later served in the North Carolina State Senate (1925-1929) and as mayor of Fayetteville.

MacKethan married Lulie Biggs (d. 1967), sister of James Crawford Biggs and Jeanette Biggs. They had two sons: Edwin R. MacKethan, Jr., who became a lawyer and banker and eventually lived in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Norfolk, Va.; and Crawford Biggs MacKethan, who lived in Fayetteville.

From the guide to the Edwin R. MacKethan Papers, 1794-1970, 2003 (bulk 1884-1932), (Southern Historical Collection)