Romulus Mitchell Saunders
Encyclopedia
Romulus Mitchell Saunders (3 March 1791 – 21 April 1867) was an American politician from 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...

.

Saunders was born near Milton
Milton, North Carolina
Milton is a town in Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 132 at the 2000 census. It is adjacent to the Virginia International Raceway, which is just across the NC/VA state line.-Geography:...

, Caswell County, North Carolina
Caswell County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,501 people, 8,670 households, and 6,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile . There were 9,601 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...

. He was the son of William Saunders and Hannah Mitchell Saunders, attended Hyco and Caswell Academies and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

. He was a lawyer, legislator, Speaker of the North Carolina House of Commons, U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from 1821 to 1827, 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...

, North Carolina Superior Court
Superior court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...

 Judge, and the unsuccessful Democratic Party nominee for Governor in 1840 (losing soundly to John Motley Morehead
John Motley Morehead
John Motley Morehead was the 29th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1841 to 1845. He is known as "the Father of Modern North Carolina."...

). President James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...

 appointed him minister to Spain
United States Ambassador to Spain
-Ambassadors:*John Jay**Appointed: September 29, 1779**Title: Minister Plenipotentiary**Presented credentials:**Terminated mission: ~May 20, 1782*William Carmichael**Appointed: April 20, 1790**Title: Chargé d'Affaires...

 (1846–1849).

Saunders served on the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees for forty-five years. Saunders first married Rebecca Peine Carter on 27 December 1812. They had five children-James, Thomas Franklin, Camillus, Anne Pine and Rebecca. After her death, he married Anne Heyes Johnson (daughter of Supreme Court Justice William Johnson (judge)
William Johnson (judge)
William Johnson was a state legislator and judge in South Carolina, and an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1804 to his death in 1834.-Youth and early career:...

) on 26 May 1823. They had six children—Louis McLane, William Johnson, Sarah E.,Margaret Madeline, Jane Claudia, and Julia A. His daughter, Jane Claudia Saunders Johnson, was the wife of Confederate General Bradley Tyler Johnson
Bradley Tyler Johnson
Bradley Tyler Johnson was an American lawyer, soldier, and writer. Although his home state of Maryland remained loyal to the Union during the American Civil War, Johnson served as a general in the Confederate States Army, leading efforts to raise a Maryland Line in the CSA, and rising to command...

.) He died 21 April 1867, and is buried in the Old City Cemetery
City Cemetery (Raleigh, North Carolina)
The City Cemetery of Raleigh, also known as Old City Cemetery, was authorized in 1798 by the North Carolina General Assembly as Raleigh's first burying ground. It was laid out on of land just outside the original 1792 eastern boundary of Raleigh and bounded by East Street on the west, East...

, Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

.

According to biographer H. G. Jones, "He was a man of considerable ability and talent, but he was rough-hewn in his appearance and speech, often intemperate in his statements, and intensely partisan in his associations. He was popular among the rank-and-file Democrats, but his inveterate pursuit of public office eventually diminished his influence among party leaders."

Saunders Hall on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill is named after Romulus M. Saunders.

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