Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1916-10-11
hon. JOHN S. HENDERSON dies.
Salisbury Mourns The Loss Of One Of the
States Truest Sons.

~ hAASSS @sh~s
Salisbury NOUNS the loss OF
her foremost citizen. Hon. John
Steele Henderson,, who passed
away Monday morning at 8 O'Clock
at his home here. Colonel Hen
derson had been in i'll health ali
summer, suffering a general
breakdown Of the physical sys-
TEN. Recently his condition be
came so grave as to give concern
to his friends and it was seer
that the end was near.
The funeral WIS conducted
Tuesday Afternoon at 4 o'clock by
Rev. W. w. Way, assisted by
Revs. E. A. Osborre and w. H
Hardin from St Likes Episcop-
al church in the presence of 6
large and representative con-
course.
Mr.. Henderson leaves a widow
and four children. They are DR.
Archibald Henderson, of the State
University; John S. Henderson,
Jr., of Pittsburg, Pa; Mrs. Ly-
man A. Cotton and Miss Mary
Henderson of Salisbury.
The descendant of a long line
of illustrious citizens of the OLE
North State, Mr.. Henderson was
born in Salisbury, January 6,
1916, and has been one of this
city's greatest gifts to the State
and Nation. He entered the Uni
versity of North Carolina when
16 years of age and two years
later, when the cal, came to fill
the depleted ranks of Lees army,
enlisted as a private in Company
B of the Ten,h North Carolina
Infantry.
AT the conc1ueior of the war he
returned hou,e and began the
study of law Under Judge Pear
son, one of the foremost jurists
of his time. Shortly after open
ing a law Office and before he be-
came of age, he was elected
register of deeds FOR Rowan coun.
ty, an Office which he held until
1868.
After declining nominations to
the General Assembly in 1872
and again in 1874, he was chosen
in 1875 as a delegate to the con-
stitutional convention. He was
a member OF tue next General
Assembly which put into opera
ton the constitutional changes
made by the convention, and was
at the next term returned to the
State Senate.
In 1880 he was chosen by the
State convention as a delegate at
large to the National convention.
When the laws of the State we're
to be codified in 1881, he was
selected upon the code commits
sion of three. A marked tribute
to the efforts of the commission
was the fact that 20 years elapsed
before a %revisa1 was ordered by
the Legislature.
In 1883 he ente4ed upon a con-
gressiona1 career which lasted
through five tens. During his
term of service in he House, he
was a member of the judiciary
committee ard was later chair
man of the Committee on post
offices and post-roads. After his
retirement from National politics,
he served in the State Senate for
the term of 1~501-l903.
AS a citizen of Salisbury, Colo
mel Henderson had been actively
identified with its progress and
it was largely through his per,
sona1 influence ed efforts that
the Southern Railway established
its shops at Spencer in 1896.
Acting for Northern capitalists,
he purchased tle $1,000 acres of
land for the development of "'The
Narrows' on the Yadkin river,
the immense tract embracing sec.
tons in Rowan, Cabarrus, Stanly,
Montgomery and Davidson coun-
ties:
In a civic capacity he has erv
ed upon the board of aldermen
and the Salisbury graded schools
committee and also as chairman
of the county board of education,
and was a member of the board of
water commissioners when Sails
bury's present modern water and
sewerage system was Installed.
He was also a director of the