 Spaight
was born at New Bern, NC of distinguished English-Irish parentage in
1758. When he was orphaned at 8 years of age, his guardians sent him
to Ireland, where he obtained an excellent education. He apparently
graduated from Scotland's Glasgow University before he returned to
North Carolina in 1778.At that time,
the War for Independence was in full swing, and Spaight's superior
attainments soon gained him a commission. He became an aide to the
state militia commander and in 1780 took part in the Battle of
Camden, SC. The year before, he had been elected to the lower house
of the legislature.
In 1781 Spaight left the military service to
devote full time to his legislative duties. He represented New Bern
and Craven County (1781-83 and 1785-87); in 1785 he became speaker.
Between terms, he also served in the Continental Congress (1783-85).
In 1787, at the age of 29, Spaight joined the
North Carolina delegation to the Philadelphia convention. He was not
a leader but spoke on several occasions and numbered among those who
attended every session. After the convention, he worked in his home
state for acceptance of the Constitution.
Spaight met defeat in bids for the governorship
in 1787 and the U.S. Senate 2 years later. From then until 1792,
illness forced his retirement from public life, during which time he
visited the West Indies, but he captured the governorship in the
latter year (1792-95). In 1793 he served as presidential elector.
Two years later, he wed Mary Leach, who bore three children.
In 1798 Spaight entered the U.S. House of
Representatives as a Democratic-Republican and remained in office
until 1801. During this time, he advocated repeal of the Alien and
Sedition Acts and voted for Jefferson in the contested election of
1800. The next year, Spaight was voted into the lower house of the
North Carolina legislature; the following year, to the upper.
Only 44 years old in 1802, Spaight was struck
down in a duel at New Bern with a political rival, Federalist John
Stanly. So ended the promising career of one of the state's foremost
leaders. He was buried in the family sepulcher at Clermont estate,
near New Bern. | 
