William Sharpe (December 13, 1742 – July 1, 1818) was a lawyer, politician, American Revolution patriot, and a delegate to the Continental Congress from Rowan County, North Carolina, which became Iredell County in 1788.
Early life
Sharpe was born in Rock Church, Cecil County, Maryland, in 1742. He was the son of Thomas Sharp, Jr, and his wife, Elizabeth, of Maryland. He pursued classical studies and law. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in 1763. He married Catherine Reese in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina on May 31, 1768. He moved to Rowan County, North Carolina in late 1768 or 1769. He lived in the area of Rowan County that became Iredell County in 1788.
Career
thumb|Map of the Fourth Creek Congregation created by William Sharpe in 1773
thumb|Sharpe's grave at Snow Creek Methodist Church near Statesville, North Carolina
William Sharpe was a member of the Fourth Creek Congregation in Rowan County, North Carolina (near what became Statesville, North Carolina in 1789) and created a map of the church members in 1773.
Sharpe was a member of the North Carolina Provincial Congress in 1775. Prior to the onset of the American Revolutionary War, he served on the Rowan County Committee of Safety.
Sharpe served as a delegate to the North Carolina constitutional convention in Halifax in 1776, and helped to frame the first constitution of the State. He was later appointed in 1779 as a delegate to the Continental Congress, 1779–1781, and elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1781 and 1782.
Sharpe placed the first bill before the legislature of North Carolina to propose a publicly supported university in the state. This bill failed, but was taken up at the next seating of the legislature and was promoted by one of the state's Revolutionary War leaders General William Richardson Davie. It subsequently passed in 1789, creating the University of North Carolina.