Biography

William Alexander Graham was born the son of Joseph and Isabella Davidson Graham in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Graham grew up on the prosperous plantation estate of his father, which was called "Vesuvius." He was educated in the law and became involved in North Carolina and U.S. politics as a Whig throughout the 1830s and 1840s. He served two terms as the Governor of North Carolina from 1845-1849. In 1852, Graham was nominated by the Whig party as the vice-presidential candidate alongside Gen. Winfield Scott. Graham and Scott did not win the election. Graham tried in vain to preserve the Union as it approached the American Civil War, but his loyalties remained with the South once the war started. He spent the war attempting to position North Carolina favorably relative to changing political circumstances. After the war, he attempted to re-enter national politics, but was stymied by Reconstruction policies and prejudices. Graham maintained and intensified his own prejudices, especially those pertaining to race. Graham is referenced in a letter written by Alexander H. Green to Frances Seward, dated November 11, 1852.