Samuel Stephens (North Carolina governor)

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Samuel Stephens (1629–1669) was the first American-born governor of the Albemarle settlements, the area that would later become North Carolina. He served as governor from 1667 until his death in 1669, after being appointed by the Lords Proprietor to replace William Drummond. Stephens was born in Jamestown, Virginia, the son of Richard Stephens and Elizabeth Piersey Stephens. In 1652 he married Frances Culpepper, sister of Lord John Culpeper; they had no children. The couple owned Boldrup Plantation in Warwick County, Virginia. Before becoming governor, he led the Southern Plantation for the Colony of Virginia from 1662 to 1664, a region that covered much of what is now northeastern North Carolina. He died in 1669 while still in office.