Zebulon Baird Vance was paroled from Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. He had been one of three governors in Confederate North Carolina. Vance’s wife had been ill, so William H. Holden, the current Republican governor, asked for Vance’s release.
Vance again became governor of North Carolina in 1876. He later became a U.S. Senator and served from 1879 to 1894.
Vance County is named for the longtime politician. Vance’s Birthplace is a State Historic Site.
