Donnell, Richard S.

Born: 1820-09-20 New Bern, North Carolina

Died: 1867-06-03 New Bern, North Carolina

Richard Donnell attended the New Bern Academy and Yale College. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1839. He studied law, earned admittance to the bar in 1840, and started a practice in New Bern. In 1846, Donnell won election, as a Whig, to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1847-49, alongside Abraham Lincoln. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1848, and returned home to open a law practice in Washington, North Carolina. He secured a seat in the State secession convention in 1861 and as a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1865. He served as a member of the State House of Commons in 1862 and 1864, and served as speaker.

Biographical Directory of the American Congress 1774-1996 (Alexandria, VA: CQ Staff Directories, 1997) 953; Gravestone, Cedar Grove Cemetery, New Bern, NC.