On December 27, 1857, Republican Congressman, educator, and conservative and diplomatic advocate for racial equality Henry Plummer Cheatham was born with slave status near Henderson.
Topics Related to This Day in North Carolina History
On December 26, 1919, Civil War soldier, planter and politician William Ruffin Cox died in Richmond, Virginia.
Born in Scotland Neck in 1832, Cox was raised and educated in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1857, he returned to North Carolina, where he owned a large plantation in Edgecombe County and established a law practice in Raleigh.
On December 26, 1959, businessman and amateur geologist Burnham Colburn died in Asheville.
A native of Michigan, Colburn’s first enterprise after arriving in North Carolina was helping to organize Biltmore Estate Company, which sought to help local youths achieve independence by teaching them traditional crafts to sell for the economic benefit of the region. Before the end of his career, he was also heavily involved in North Carolina’s banking industry. Colburn was a man of many hobbies.
On December 25, 1929, Charlie Lawson murdered his wife and six of their seven children before killing himself in Stokes County. His motive remains a mystery.
On December 25, 1812, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted the law that created what is now the State Library of North Carolina, to be administered by the Secretary of State.
On December 25, 1944, Greensboro native George E. Preddy Jr., the top P-51 Mustang ace during World War II, was shot down by friendly ground fire.
On December 25, 1929, Alton Stewart, who popularized flying in North Carolina, died in a plane crash. Stewart had been at the helm of a flight that originated in Raleigh and stopped in Angier to pick up passengers.
On December 24, 1902, Reginald Fessenden, who had previously engaged in experiments on the Outer Banks, made the first intentional wireless radio broadcast, playing his violin and reading a passage from the Bible.
On December 24, 1937, writer and cultural leader Mary Van Landingham died in Charlotte.
Born in Charlotte in 1852 to a family with deep roots in the area, Van Landingham made a name for herself by becoming active in several civic and cultural organizations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, North Carolina Society of the Colonial Dames and North Carolina Folklore Society.
On December 24, 1922, Ava Gardner was born in Grabtown, a small farming community near Smithfield in Johnston County.