Romulus Mitchell Saunders

Romulus Mitchell Saunders (3 March 1791 – 21 April 1867) was an American politician from North Carolina.

Saunders was born near Milton, Caswell County, North Carolina. He was the son of William Saunders and Hannah Mitchell Saunders, attended Hyco and Caswell Academies and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a lawyer, legislator, Speaker of the North Carolina House of Commons, U.S. Representative from 1821 to 1827, North Carolina Attorney General, North Carolina Superior Court Judge, and the unsuccessful Democratic Party nominee for Governor in 1840 (losing soundly to John Motley Morehead). President James K. Polk appointed him minister to Spain (1846–1849).

Saunders served on the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees for forty-five years. Saunders first married Rebecca Peine Carter on 27 December 1812. They had five children-James, Thomas Franklin, Camillus, Anne Pine and Rebecca. After her death, he married Anne Heyes Johnson (daughter of Supreme Court Justice William Johnson (judge)) on 26 May 1823. They had six children—Louis McLane, William Johnson, Sarah E.,Margaret Madeline, Jane Claudia, and Julia A. His daughter, Jane Claudia Saunders Johnson, was the wife of Confederate General Bradley Tyler Johnson.) He died 21 April 1867, at Elmwood, his home at Raleigh, North Carolina, and is buried in the Old City Cemetery. He is believed to have resided at Longwood early in his career. Elmwood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and Longwood in 1976.

According to biographer H. G. Jones, "He was a man of considerable ability and talent, but he was rough-hewn in his appearance and speech, often intemperate in his statements, and intensely partisan in his associations. He was popular among the rank-and-file Democrats, but his inveterate pursuit of public office eventually diminished his influence among party leaders."

Carolina Hall, formerly known as Saunders Hall, on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill was often thought to have been named after Romulus M. Saunders. Instead, it was named for William L. Saunders.

External links

• Caswell County Historical Association
• Romulus Saunders entry in the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
• Romulus Saunders Find-A-Grave

Legal offices
Preceded by Robert H. Jones	Attorney General of North Carolina 1828–1834	Succeeded by John Reeves Jones Daniel
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Thomas Settle	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 9th congressional district 1821 – 1827	Succeeded by Augustine H. Shepperd
Preceded by William Montgomery	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 8th congressional district 1841 – 1843	Succeeded by Archibald H. Arrington
Preceded by James I. McKay	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 5th congressional district 1843 – 1845	Succeeded by James C. Dobbin
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Washington Irving	U.S. Minister to Spain 1846–1849	Succeeded by Daniel M. Barringer