John Clary was expelled for fornicating with his stepdaughter.
A Quaker from Virginia, he moved to Perquimans County in 1776 and became proprietor of a toll float bridge across the river—a position that made him locally important.
His second wife was a widower three times over and had a daughter, Leah Toms, according to William S. Powell's "The Dictionary of North Carolina Biography."
In 1808, Clary was convicted of fornication with his stepdaughter and fined, but he was elected to the House of Commons in 1809 nonetheless. Not everyone was happy, though:
His reception in the legislature was cool, and following the introduction of a resolution proposed that the house "free itself from the contamination of grossly impure and unworthy characters," Clary resigned and went home to vindicate himself.
In December, Clary was re-elected by an even larger margin and returned to the House triumphantly. It was a short-lived win.
More after the jump.
—————
On Dec. 20, the House voted 68 to 28 to eject him for being "guilty of a crime so enormous it renders unfit that he should be permitted to continue as a member."
Later, six men, including one of his own stepsons, showed up at Clary's house one night, forced him out and tarred and feathered him.
Clary brought charges against the men, and the judge ruled in his favor. He went on to continue in local positions, although he was never sent back to the legislature.
The entry in Powell's book, written by H.G. Jones and Raymond A. Winslow Jr., ends on this note:
Clary's contribution to history probably lies in the light that his conviction and subsequent prestige among his neighbors sheds upon the moral tone of his county, a tone perhaps not unlike that of the state in general in 1809.
Blog RSS feed
