David Outlaw

Who was David Outlaw?

David Outlaw was a Whig U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1847 and 1853.

Born near Windsor, North Carolina in 1806, Outlaw attended private schools and academies in Bertie County. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1824, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1825, opening a practice in Windsor. A member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1831 to 1834, Outlaw was a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1835.

From 1836 to 1844, Outlaw was solicitor of the first judicial district in North Carolina. In 1844, he was a delegate to the Whig National Convention, and was elected as a Whig to the 30th, 31st, and 32nd U.S. Congress. He was defeated for re-election in 1852, but was elected to the state house once again in 1854 and 1858. After leaving Congress, Outlaw returned to his law practice and died in Windsor in 1868, where he is buried in the Episcopal Cemetery.

David Outlaw was the cousin of Congressman and state senate speaker George Outlaw.