Tod Robinson Caldwell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 41stGovernor of North Carolina | |
| In office March 22, 1871 – July 11, 1874 | |
| Preceded by | William Woods Holden |
| Succeeded by | Curtis Hooks Brogden |
| 1stLieutenant Governor of North Carolina | |
| In office 1868–1871 | |
| Preceded by | None (office established) |
| Succeeded by | Curtis Hooks Brogden |
| Member of theNorth Carolina Senate | |
| In office 1850–1851 | |
| Member of theNorth Carolina House of Commons | |
| In office 1842–1845, 1848–1849 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1818-02-19)February 19, 1818 |
| Died | July 11, 1874(1874-07-11) (aged 56) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Occupation | Politician, lawyer, railman |
Tod Robinson Caldwell (February 19, 1818 – July 11, 1874) was an American lawyer and the41st governor of theU.S. state ofNorth Carolina from 1871 until his death in Hillsborough in North Carolina in 1874.
Caldwell was born on February 19, 1818, to John Caldwell and Hannah Pickett Robinson. He was born inMorganton, North Carolina, where he had a home for most of his life. Caldwell attended theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating on June 4, 1840.[1] He was a member of theDialectic Society. He was examined by the Supreme Court and admitted to Superior Court Practice (much like passing abar examination) in June 1841, becoming solicitor for Burke County.[2] In 1842 he was elected a member of the North Carolina House of Commons in which he served two sessions. In 1850 he represented Burke County in the state senate. After the close of the Civil War he was a member of the Reconstruction Convention, and President of Western North Carolina Railroad.[3]Caldwell was elected the firstlieutenant governor of North Carolina in 1868, the same year thestate constitution had created the office. He became governor in 1871 upon the impeachment and conviction of GovernorWilliam Woods Holden. Caldwell was elected governor in his own right in 1872, by about two thousand majority, becoming the second Republican elected governor of North Carolina.[4] His areas of interest were the state debt and the state finances and the opening of the public schools which had been closed in 1863 due to lack of money. He appointed Alexander McIver asSuperintendent of Public Instruction and got a bill passed allowing private aid for public schools in order to gain funds to reopen the schools.[5]
Caldwell marriedMinerva Ruffin Cain on December 12, 1840.[6] Tod and Minerva had at least four children: Mary Ruffin Caldwell, wife of Dr. Waighstill Collett; John "Jack" Caldwell, killed atGettysburg; Martha R. Caldwell, wife of Edward W. Ward; and Hannah J. Caldwell, wife of Walter Brem.[7][8]
Shortly after arriving on July 9, 1874, at Hillsborough, Orange County, North Carolina to attend the railroad's stockholders' meeting, Caldwell fell ill and died unexpectedly on July 11, 1874, aged 56.[9] Newspaper reports stated he died fromcholera morbus.[9] His body was returned to the state capital to lie in state after which his body was carried to Morganton and buried in the family plot in Forest Hill Cemetery.[10]
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|---|---|---|
| First | Republican nominee forLieutenant Governor of North Carolina 1868 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of North Carolina 1872 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by None (office established) | Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina 1868–1871 | Succeeded by Curtis H. Brogden |
| Preceded by | Governor of North Carolina 1871–1874 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
