Zebulon Baird Vance

Zebulon Baird Vance was a prominent American politician and orator who served as the 37th and 43rd Governor of North Carolina and later as a U.S. Senator. A complex figure, he was a staunch Unionist before the American Civil War but became a dedicated Confederate governor, known for his advocacy for North Carolina's soldiers and citizens during the conflict. His post-war career in the U.S. Senate was marked by his leadership in the Democratic Party and his defense of states' rights during the Gilded Age.

Early life and education

Born in the Reems Creek community of Buncombe County, North Carolina, he was the son of David Vance and Mira Margaret Baird. After his father's death, his family moved to Lapland in Asheville, North Carolina. He attended common schools and later studied at Washington College in Tennessee before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the university, he was a member of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies and graduated in 1852. He subsequently read law in Asheville and was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1852, establishing a successful legal practice.

Civil War and governorship

Initially elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1858 as a member of the American Party, he was a vocal opponent of secession. Following the Battle of Fort Sumter and North Carolina's secession, however, he joined the Confederate States Army as a colonel of the 26th North Carolina Regiment. He saw action in the Battle of New Bern before resigning his commission after being elected Governor of North Carolina in 1862. As governor, he frequently clashed with Confederate President Jefferson Davis over issues like conscription, states' rights, and the supply of his state's troops, earning great popularity as "the war governor of the South." His administration ended with the collapse of the Confederacy and his brief arrest by Union Army forces.

U.S. Senate career

After the war, he received a presidential pardon from Andrew Johnson and returned to his law practice. He was again elected Governor of North Carolina in 1876, serving until 1879 when the North Carolina General Assembly elected him to the United States Senate. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1879 until his death in 1894, becoming a leading Democratic voice. In the Senate, he served on influential committees like the Committee on Revolutionary Claims and the Committee on Patents, and was a staunch opponent of Reconstruction-era policies like the Force Acts. He was a prominent critic of federal overreach and a defender of the economic interests of the South.

Political views and legacy

Vance's political philosophy evolved from Whig nationalism to Confederate nationalism and finally to a post-war Bourbon Democrat stance. He was a gifted orator, often called the "Cicero of the Appalachian Mountains," and his writings, including The Scattered Nation, expressed his views. His legacy is deeply contested; he is celebrated in North Carolina for his wartime leadership and political skill but criticized for his defense of slavery and white supremacy. Monuments to him, including a statue in the U.S. Capitol and the Zebulon Baird Vance Monument in Asheville, have been subjects of significant public debate.

Personal life and death

In 1853, he married Harriette Espy of Asheville; they had four sons before her death in 1878. In 1880, he married Florence Steele Martin of Kentucky. His personal life was marked by both political triumph and family tragedy, including the loss of two sons in infancy. He died suddenly of heart failure in his room at the Metropolitan Hotel in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1894. His body was returned to North Carolina and he was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Asheville, North Carolina, following a large state funeral.

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