James Kenan (September 23, 1740May 23, 1810) was a member of the North Carolina Senate, serving from 1777 to 1793. A senior officer of militia; he also commanded a North Carolina regiment, and temporarily a militia district (brigade), in the Southern Theater of the American Revolutionary War.
Early life and the American Revolution
James Kenan was born on September 23, 1740 at The Lilacs in Turkey, North Carolina, to Thomas, born in Ireland, and Elizabeth ( Johnston) Kenan. He was elected Sheriff of Duplin County, North Carolina, at age 22. He led a company of volunteers to Wilmington, North Carolina to oppose the Stamp Act. He also served as Chairman of the Duplin and Wilmington Committee of Safety.
During the American Revolutionary War, Kenan commanded the Duplin Regiment. In 1781, he was appointed Brigadier General pro tempore and placed in temporary command of Wilmington District. After the American Revolutionary War, he was appointed brigadier general of North Carolina militia.
North Carolina Senate (1777–1793)
Kenan served as a member of the state constitutional convention in 1788 and 1789. Kenan also served as chairman on Ratification of the United States Constitution in the Fayetteville Convention and was one of the first trustees of the University of North Carolina. He served ten terms (17771783) as a member of the North Carolina Senate.
Death
Kenan died on May 23, 1810, at The Lilacs in Turkey, North Carolina. Originally buried at The Lilacs, he was reinterred at historic Liberty Hall in Kenansville, his 1800s era estate.
Personal life
Kenan married Sarah Love "Sallie" March 13, 1770, and produced eight children, including his son Thomas S. Kenan. Thomas Kenan served in the North Carolina legislature and three terms as North Carolina representative in the U.S. Congress. Five members of his family would later become sheriff of Duplin County. A Mason, he served as the master of St. John's Lodge, No. 13, of Duplin County.
Honors
Historical marker F-26 was erected in his honor on North Carolina highway 24 about three miles west of Warsaw. In November 2007, he was inducted into the Duplin County Hall of Fame. In 1818 the new county seat of Duplin was named "Kenansville" in his honor. James Kenan High School located in Warsaw, North Carolina, was named after him in 1958.