Thomas Kenan (Civil War)
Encyclopedia
Colonel Thomas Stephen Kenan (February 12, 1838 – December 23, 1911) was a Confederate soldier, and later a politician. His parents were Sarah Rebecca Graham and Owen Rand Kenan
; he was the grandson of U.S. Congressman Thomas Kenan and great-grandson of Revolutionary War general James Kenan
. He started his education in Duplin County, North Carolina
at Old Grove Academy in Kenansville
(the town was named for his great-grandfather in 1818). Later he spent a year at Central Military Institute in Selma, Alabama. Thomas spent his freshman year of college at Wake Forest in June. Thomas then transferred his sophomore year to the University of North Carolina
where he would graduate in 1857. He studied law for two years with Judge Pearson at Richmond Hill where he practiced law in Kenansville. After graduation and during the Civil War
he became Captain in the Duplin Rifles for the Confederate Army, elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 43rd Regiment in April 1862, and was promoted to Colonel later that year. He was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg
. While on an ambulance train, he and his older brother James Kenan were both captured; they were then imprisoned on Johnson Island, Ohio. On March 22, 1865, he was released on parole but never switched sides during the war. On his return home he was elected to the State legislature from 1865-1867. Later that year he ran for Congress and lost. Not letting that defeat end his political career, he moved to Wilson, North Carolina
, where he became mayor and was elected North Carolina Attorney General
, serving from 1877-1885. In May 1868 he married Miss Sallie Dortch but they had no children; Sallie died in 1916.
Owen Rand Kenan
Owen Rand Kenan, was a North Carolina politician. He was born in Kenansville, North Carolina in Duplin County, and served in the state legislature from 1834 to 1838. He also represented the state during the Civil War in the First Confederate Congress from 1862 to 1864...
; he was the grandson of U.S. Congressman Thomas Kenan and great-grandson of Revolutionary War general James Kenan
James Kenan
James Kenan was a Revolutionary War military leader. James Kenan was elected Sheriff of Duplin County, North Carolina at age 22. Five members of his family would later become sheriff of Duplin County. While serving as Stamp Master of North Carolina he led a company of volunteers to Wilmington to...
. He started his education in Duplin County, 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...
at Old Grove Academy in Kenansville
Kenansville
Kenansville is the name of two communities in the United States:*Kenansville, North Carolina*Kenansville, Florida...
(the town was named for his great-grandfather in 1818). Later he spent a year at Central Military Institute in Selma, Alabama. Thomas spent his freshman year of college at Wake Forest in June. Thomas then transferred his sophomore year to the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
where he would graduate in 1857. He studied law for two years with Judge Pearson at Richmond Hill where he practiced law in Kenansville. After graduation and during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he became Captain in the Duplin Rifles for the Confederate Army, elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 43rd Regiment in April 1862, and was promoted to Colonel later that year. He was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. While on an ambulance train, he and his older brother James Kenan were both captured; they were then imprisoned on Johnson Island, Ohio. On March 22, 1865, he was released on parole but never switched sides during the war. On his return home he was elected to the State legislature from 1865-1867. Later that year he ran for Congress and lost. Not letting that defeat end his political career, he moved to Wilson, North Carolina
Wilson, North Carolina
Wilson is a city and the county seat of Wilson County in the Coastal Plain region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The 18th largest city in the state, Wilson had a population of 49,167 according to the 2010 census.- Geography :...
, where he became mayor and was elected North Carolina Attorney General
North Carolina attorney general
The Attorney General of North Carolina is the head of the state's Department of Justice and provides legal representation and advice to all state agencies. He or she does not have the authority to prosecute specific crimes unless requested to do so by a local district attorney...
, serving from 1877-1885. In May 1868 he married Miss Sallie Dortch but they had no children; Sallie died in 1916.
List of Accoplishments
- Capt of Duplin Rifles (1859)
- Lt Col of 43 Regiment (1862)
- Col (1862)
- Elected to State Legislature (1865–1867)
- Mayor of Wilson (1872–1876)
- North Carolina Attorney General (1877-1885)
- Selected by the Supreme court as court reporter
- Trustee of UNC and pres. of his Alumni
- Held high office in his Masonic order
- Help establish a boys orphanage
- President of State Bar Association of North Carolina