MACON, NATILANIEI„ 1757-1837, b. .N. C.; educated at the college of New Jersey, where he was an undergraduate when the revclutionary war broke out. Leaving Princeton in 1777 he enlisted as a private soldier in a volunteer company, buti after a short term of service returned to his Iname in North Carolina, where he began to. read law. But he soon abandoned his legal studies, and declining all offers of a commis sion re-enlisted as a private in the regiment of his brother, col. John Macon. He remained in the army as a common soldier without pay till the treaty of peace in. 1782; and at the close of the war could not be prevailed upon to accept any compensa tion or pension for his service. While the war w as still going on he had been elected, though but 23 years of age, a member of the senate of his native state; and he retained his seat for five successive years. Ile served on some of the principal committees of that body, and lie was conspicuous in his advocacy of measures to main tain the credit of the state, and to redeem and withdraw from circulation the paper cur rency. About this time he removed to a plantation on thc Roanoke river, and devoted to agriculture all of his time left free by the care of public affairs. When the adoptiont of the new S. constitution came before the people of North Carolina, Macon opposed its ratification, as conferring too great powers upon the general government. He
was a member of congress 1791A.815, and its speaker 1801-06. He was twice offered, by Jefferson, the office of postmaster-general, but refused it. He was chosen to the U. S. senate in 1816; was its president pro tem. 1825-27; and resigned his seat iu 1828. While in congress he was in favor of the embargo, and was a qualified supporter of the. war with England; but he would not vote for appropriation to increase the navy beyond a point sufficient to protect our line of coast, nor sanction the construction of additional forts. Throughout his congressional career be steadily opposed the policy of internat. improvements. In 1824 lie voted against the bill to make Lafayette a grant out of the. public lands in consideration of his services in the revolution. The same year he received the electoral vote of Virginia for the office of vice-president. in 1835 he was president of the North Carolina constitutional convention, where he opposed state aid. to internal improvements, a property qualification for the suffrage, and the extension of the right of suffrage to free negroes. The last public office which he accepted was that of a presidential elector in 1836.