John Willis Ellis

John Willis Ellis ( * November 23, 1820 in Rowan County, North Carolina; † July 7, 1861 in Raleigh, North Carolina ) was an American politician and the 35th Governor of the state of North Carolina.

Early years and political rise

John Ellis attended the Randolph -Macon College and then the University of North Carolina. There he made his degree in 1841. After studying law and subsequent admission to the bar he came to Salisbury a career as a lawyer. His political career began in 1843 as a delegate to the state Democratic convention. Between 1844 and 1849 he sat as an MP in the House of Representatives from North Carolina. After that, he was from 1848 for ten years Judge in that State. His party nominated him as their candidate for the upcoming 1858 gubernatorial election, won the Ellis with 52.7 percent of the vote against John Pool of the opposition party.

Governor of North Carolina

Ellis took up his new post on 1 January 1859 and was confirmed in 1860. He sat down for an improvement of the infrastructure and a reorganization of the National Guard. The overriding theme of the time, however, was the crisis between the North and the South and the consequent threat of war. Governor Ellis supported the position of the South and rejected a request by President Abraham Lincoln from decided who asked for military support of the Union by North Carolina. Ellis made ​​his decision confirmed by the Parliament of his country. On May 20, 1861, the Government and Parliament of North Carolina decided to withdraw from the Union. Thus, the State concluded, as expected, to the Confederacy. Governor Ellis survived this event is not long. He died on July 7, 1861 in office. Senate President Henry Toole Clark finished his Unopened tenure. Ellis was married twice and had a total of two children.