Hon. William Barry Grove

     The Hon. William Barry Grove was a Federalist U.S. Congressman from the state of North Carolina from 1791 to 1803.

     Grove was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1764. After studying law, he was admitted to the state bar and became a practicing attorney. In 1786, Grove was first elected to the North Carolina House of Commons; he would serve from 1787-1789.  In 1788, Grove was a delegate to the state convention that considered ratification of the United States Constitution; he voted against postponement of ratification, but the state did not ratify the constitution at that time. Grove was also a delegate to the 1789 state convention where North Carolina finally ratified the federal constitution.

     A trustee of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the president of the Fayetteville Branch of the Bank of the United States, Grove was elected to the Second United States Congress in 1790; he was re-elected to the 3rd through 7th Congresses as a Federalist, serving consecutively from March 4, 1791 to March 3, 1803. Although he ran for re-election in 1802, he was defeated for a seat in the 8th U.S. Congress.

     Well-loved by the fraternity and community, Grove resided with cultured hospitality in a mansion on West Rowan Street, Fayetteville.  He died in 1818 and following a large procession that included his Masonic brethren, the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, and the citizenry of Fayetteville, was buried in Fayetteville's Grove Creek Cemetery.  Business was suspended in honor of his funeral, and the citizens of Fayetteville wore black arm bands for 30 days as a token of their mourning. 

     Grove Street in Fayetteville is named in his honor.