North Carolina
Gov. Tod Robinson Caldwell
- December 15, 1870 - July 11, 1874
- Republican
- February 19, 1818
- July 11, 1874
- North Carolina
- University of North Carolina
- Married Minerva Ruffin Cain; one child
- Succeeded, Died in office
About
TOD R. CALDWELL, the forty-first governor of North Carolina, was born in Morganton, North Carolina on February 19, 1818. His education was attained at the University of North Carolina, where he graduated in 1840. He went on to study law, and then established his legal career, serving as the Burke County solicitor. Caldwell first entered politics as a member of the North Carolina House of Commons, a position he held from 1842 to 1845, 1848 to 1849 and 1858 to 1859. He served in the North Carolina State Senate from 1850 to 1851; was president of the senate from 1868 to 1870; and served as secretary pro tempore of the 1866 constitutional convention. He also was the state’s first lieutenant governor from 1868 to 1870. On December 15, 1870 Governor William W. Holden was impeached, and Caldwell, who was the lieutenant governor at the time, assumed the duties of the governorship. He won election to a term of his own in 1872. During his tenure, financing was secured for the reopening of the state’s public schools. Also, state spending was controlled and the state deficit was reduced. While still in office, Governor Caldwell passed away on July 11, 1874, and was buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Morganton, North Carolina.
Source
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.
