Jonathan Worth was the 39th Governor

Governor of North Carolina

The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...

 of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 from 1865 to 1868, during the early years of Reconstruction.

Early life

A native of Guilford County

Guilford County, North Carolina

Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In 2010, the Census Bureau estimated the county's population to be 491,230. Its seat is Greensboro. Since 1938, an additional county court has been located in High Point, North Carolina, making Guilford one of only a handful...

, Worth settled in Randolph County

Randolph County, North Carolina

-Notable people:*Naomi Wise, murder victim*Richard Petty - Nascar driver.*Lee Petty - Nascar pioneer. Richard Petty's father.*Kyle Petty - Nascar driver. Son of Richard Petty*Adam Petty - Nascar driver. Kyle Petty's son...

 and made his fame and fortune there as an attorney and legislator. A Quaker and protégé of Judge Archibald Murphey

Archibald Murphey

Archibald DeBow Murphey was a North Carolina politician known as the "Father of Education" in his state for his proposals that benefited public works and public education....

, Worth championed the cause of free public schools, and, though he belonged to the greatly outnumbered Whig party, gained much stature for his practicality and vision.

In 1830, he ran for a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives

North Carolina House of Representatives

The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....

 from Randolph County, motivated in large part by a failing law practice. His major shortcoming, he had decided, was his deficiency as a public speaker. His peers at the Bar persuaded him there was no better way to improve his oratory and achieve better rhetoric than to become a member of the North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina General Assembly

The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...

, which thrives on "talk".

He served two terms in the House, took a break from public service to build a lucrative law practice, was elected to the North Carolina Senate

North Carolina Senate

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...

, and then ran twice for Congress, both times unsuccessfully.

In 1858, Worth was again elected to the State Senate, where he was made chairman of a committee to investigate the poorly-run North Carolina Railroad

North Carolina Railroad

The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina. The railroad carries over seventy freight trains and eight passenger trains daily...

. He pursued this official duty so relentlessly that the president of the Railroad, formerly a good friend, challenged Worth to a duel, which Worth declined.

Civil War Treasurer

Worth was an avid opponent of North Carolina's secession

Secession

Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...

 from the Union. Though opposed to the Confederate stands on most issues, Worth remained loyal to North Carolina and refused to take part in several peace movements. In late 1862 or early 1863, the legislature elected him State Treasurer

North Carolina State Treasurer

The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Janet Cowell....

 by acclamation.

Worth had the unhappy duty of issuing notes and bonds to finance the State's share of its war debt. Of the some $20 million in notes authorized by the State, Worth issued $8.5 million and $5.2 million were outstanding at the end of the war. War bonds totaling more than $13 million were issued. At the end of the war, all of the State's war debt was repudiated.

Just before Raleigh was occupied by Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...

's conquering forces at the end of the war, Governor Zebulon B. Vance charged Worth with the duty of safeguarding the State archives, which he did by evacuating them to Company Shops in Alamance County. Worth was so highly regarded that when William W. Holden was installed as the provisional Governor, he requested Worth continue as the provisional Treasurer. Worth held that title for five months until he resigned during his campaign against Gov. Holden in a special November 9, 1865 election. Worth is the only statewide North Carolina Treasurer to become Governor.

Governor

Worth was nominated by the Conservative Party, a state coalition that included most Democrats and some former Whigs, to run for Governor in North Carolina's first and only special election for the office. Worth had been associated with the Conservative Party since the beginning of the Civil War. His opponent was the incumbent Gov. William W. Holden, who had been appointed by President Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...

 and was running on the National Union Party

National Union Party (United States)

The National Union Party was the name used by the Republican Party for the national ticket in the 1864 presidential election, held during the Civil War. State Republican parties did not usually change their name....

 ticket. Worth's strength was in the eastern part of the state, and Holden carried the western counties which had mostly opposed secession and the Civil War. Worth won with 32,549 votes (55.5%) to Holden's 25,809 votes (44.0%). Worth won with the support of many elements of the state that had supported secession. The 1865 election had been conducted according to the 1865 state constitution, which was rejected by the U.S. Congress.

Worth was re-elected on October 18, 1866 for a term that started December 22, 1866. He won 34,250 votes (75.9%) to 10,759 votes (23.8%) for former U.S. Rep. Alfred Dockery

Alfred Dockery

Alfred Dockery was an American Congressional Representative serving both Tennessee and North Carolina. He was also a Confederate States Army Militia General in Tennessee during the American Civil War....

, running on the National Union Party ticket. In both his gubernatorial campaigns, Worth emphasized that he had opposed secession and that he sought to heal state and national divisions. He expressed support for President Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...

.

The major event of Worth's second term was the state constitutional convention, held in early 1868 to draft a constitution

Constitution

A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...

 meeting the requirements of Congress. One of Worth's major interests was to restore North Carolina to the Union. Worth was disappointed with the new constitution and refused to run for re-election on the Conservative Party ticket in the election of 1868. He did not recognize the legitimacy of that election, which William W. Holden won. Nevertheless, he wrote to Holden: "I surrender the office to you under what I deem Military duress."

Worth died 14 months after leaving office as Governor. He is buried in Historic Oakwood Cemetery

Historic Oakwood Cemetery

Historic Oakwood Cemetery was founded in 1869 in Raleigh, North Carolina near the North Carolina State Capitol in Historic Oakwood. Historic Oakwood Cemetery contains two special areas within its , the Confederate Cemetery, located on the original two and one-half acres , and the Hebrew Cemetery,...

.

His younger brother, John M. Worth

John M. Worth

John Milton Worth served as North Carolina State Treasurer from 1876 to 1885. He was the younger brother of Jonathan Worth, who served as the state's Treasurer and Governor during the 1860s....

, was also a successful politician and North Carolina State Treasurer

North Carolina State Treasurer

The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Janet Cowell....

 from 1876 to 1885. Worth Bagley

Worth Bagley

Ensign Worth Bagley was a United States Navy officer during the Spanish-American War, distinguished as the only U.S. naval officer killed in action during that war.-Biography:...

 and Jonathan Worth Daniels were his grandsons.