Benjamin Douglas, Sr.
Ben Douglas, Sr. (1884-1981)was mayor of Charlotte from 1935 to 1941. He came to Charlotte in 1926 and became a partner in the Douglas and Sing Mortuary and was later founder and owner of Douglas Furs in Charlotte.
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Mecklenburg People
Romare Bearden
Although he only lived in Charlotte until age 5, artist Romare Bearden (1914-1988) is still identified with the city of his birth.
He grew up in New York. During World War II, he served with the all-black 372nd Infantry Regiment. It was in the 1960s that he rose to prominence for his controversial works of art that depicted the social issues and struggles important to black Americans.
Rufus Barringer
Born in Cabarrus County the ninth of ten children, Barringer (1825-1895) was an 1842 graduate of the University of North Carolina. From 1848-50, he represented his home county in the House of Commons. (House of Representatives, North Carolina General Assembly)
Clement Dowd
Clement Dowd (1832-1898) was the founder and president of the Merchant's and Farmer's Bank, and the Commercial National Bank.
He married Lydia Josephine Person, a widow with seven children, but they had no children of their own. Clement Dowd died at his North Tryon Street home and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery.He was an author, lawyer, district attorney and Congressman.
Hezekiah Alexander
Hezekiah Alexander (1728-1801) was one of the original signers of the Meckenburg Declaration of Independence. In 1774, Maryland native Hezekiah Alexander built a two-story stone house that remains the oldest dwelling in Mecklenburg County. The 600-acre plantation was home to Alexander, his wife Mary Sample, and their 10 children.
Richard Barry
Richard Barry (ca. 1726-August 21, 1801) was born in 1726 in Pennsylvania. He immigrated to Mecklenburg through Maryland. Records indicate that he was a tanner and owned a business for many years. He is listed as one of Mecklenburg County's first magistrates. On February 6, 1764, he was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives from Mecklenburg County.
Henry Downs
Henry Downs (May 5, 1728 - October 8, 1798) was one of the original signers of the Meckenburg Declaration of Independence. Virginian Henry Downs was trained as a surveyor. He and his wife left Virginia and moved to the Providence township in Mecklenburg. His religious ties were with the Providence Presbyterian Church, in southern Mecklenburg County, where he and his wife owned large tracts of land. He continued his surveying business, served as tax assessor and worked with some indigent people in Mecklenburg County.
John Frohock
John Frohock (?-1772) was a surveyor and one of the earliest residents of Mecklenburg County. As one of three Commissioners, he developed the town of Charlotte. Beginning in 1768, the Commissioners sold half-acre lots to persons willing to take up residence in the new "county town," where the court would meet quarterly.
Herbert Baxter
Herbert Hill Baxter (May 31, 1894 - October 26, 1967) was the mayor of from from 1943-1949. Before becoming mayor, he served on the city council from 1935-1941. Herbert Baxter, a native of Boston, came to Mecklenburg County during World War I when he was stationed at Camp Greene. After the war he returned to Charlotte where he lived for the rest of his life. He founded the Central Lumber Company.
James Duke
James Buchanan Buck Duke (1856-1925) was member of North Carolina's powerful Duke tobacco family. He was born near Durham,NC and was educated near his home and in New York.