North Carolina General Assembly of 1777
| 1st North Carolina General Assembly (1777) | |||||
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Tryon Palace recreated in the 1950s, seized by the patriots and used as the first seat of government | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | North Carolina General Assembly | ||||
| Jurisdiction | North Carolina, United States | ||||
| Meeting place | New Bern, North Carolina | ||||
| Term | 1777 | ||||
| North Carolina Senate | |||||
| Members | 39 Senators (38 counties, one district) | ||||
| Speaker | Samuel Ashe | ||||
| Clerk | James Green, Jr. | ||||
| North Carolina House of Commons | |||||
| Members | 76 Representatives from 38 counties, 6 from districts | ||||
| Speaker | Abner Nash | ||||
| Clerk | Benjamin Exum | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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The North Carolina General Assembly of 1777 met in two sessions in New Bern, North Carolina, from April 7 to May 9, 1777, and from November 15 to December 24, 1777. This was the first North Carolina legislature elected after the last provincial congress wrote the first North Carolina Constitution. This assembly elected Richard Caswell as the state's first constitutional governor (he had been serving as acting governor by action of the provincial congress).
Each of the 38 counties of North Carolina were authorized to elect one senator and two representatives to the House of Commons. In addition, six boroughs (also called districts) elected one House member each. An additional district, Washington District, had one senator and no representative in the House of Commons. Washington District comprised the lands that later became part of Tennessee in 1789. It was referred to as a District in 1776 and 1777 and Washington County after 1777.