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Speakers of the House of Burgesses
The office of Speaker of the lower house of the legislature in the Province of Carolina was called the House of Burgesses. Since the House was the only elected body in the colony, the Speaker was often seen as the leading voice of the people.
In 1729 seven of the Lords Proprietors sold their interests in Carolina to the Crown, and both North Carolina and South Carolina became royal colonies. So after 1729 the Speaker represented North Carolina only.
In 1776, North Carolina established its first constitution, which created a Senate and a House of Commons, both of which were elected. In 1868, the name of the house was changed to "House of Representatives."
List of Speakers
- George Catchmaid 1666
- Valentine Bird 1672–73
- Thomas Eastchurch 1675
- Thomas Cullen 1677
- George Durant, of Perquimans, North Carolina 1679
- John Nixon 1689
- John Porter 1697–98
- William Wilkison 1703
- Thomas Boyd 1707
- Edward Moseley 1708
- Richard Sanderson 1709
- William Swann 1711
- Thomas Snoden 1711–12
- Edward Moseley 1715–23
- Maurice Moore 1725
- John Baptista Ashe 1726
- Thomas Swann 1729
- Edward Moseley 1731–34
- William Downing 1735–39
- John Hodgson 1739–41
- Samuel Swann 1742–54
- John Campbell 1754 – c. 1760
- Samuel Swann c. 1760–62
- John Ashe 1762–65
- John Harvey 1766–69
- Richard Caswell 1770–71
- John Harvey 1773–75