Quick Facts
Biography
James Glasgow (c. 1735—1819) served as the first North Carolina Secretary of State, from 1777 to 1798.
Biography
Early life
Glasgow, the son of a Scottish minister, was educated at the College of William & Mary.
Career
He was active in the American Revolutionary War in North Carolina, and in December 1776, was rewarded by the last of the state's provincial congresses with the office of Secretary of State. From 1777 to 1781, Glasgow lived at Harmony Hall in Kinston.
In 1791, while he was still serving as Secretary of State, the state legislature named a county after him. He resigned in disgrace after a scandal known as the "Glasgow Land Fraud." After his resignation, the county was renamed Greene County.
Personal life
His daughter, Nancy Glasgow, married Willoughby Williams, a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, and later remarried to Joseph McMinn, who served as Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821.