Nathaniel Macon

Nathaniel Macon
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office May 20, 1826 – December 2, 1827
Preceded by	John Gaillard
Succeeded by	Samuel Smith
5th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office December 7, 1801 – March 3, 1807
Preceded by	Theodore Sedgwick
Succeeded by	Joseph B. Varnum
Dean of the United States House of Representatives
In office March 4, 1807 – December 13, 1815
Preceded by	George Thatcher
Succeeded by	Richard Stanford
United States Senator from North Carolina
In office December 5, 1815 – November 14, 1828
Preceded by	Francis Locke Jr.
Succeeded by	James Iredell Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina
In office March 4, 1791 – December 13, 1815
Preceded by	Hugh Williamson
Succeeded by	Weldon N. Edwards
Constituency	2nd district (1791–1793) 5th district (1793–1803) 6th district (1803–1815)
Personal details
Born	(1757-12-17)December 17, 1757 Warrenton, Province of North Carolina, British America
Died	June 29, 1837(1837-06-29) (aged 79) Warrenton, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Anti-Administration (before 1792) Democratic-Republican (1792–1828)
Education	Princeton University
Signature

Nathaniel Macon (December 17, 1757 – June 29, 1837) was an American politician who represented North Carolina in both houses of Congress. He was the fifth speaker of the House, serving from 1801 to 1807. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1791 to 1815 and a member of the United States Senate from 1815 to 1828. He opposed ratification of the United States Constitution and the Federalist economic policies of Alexander Hamilton. From 1826 to 1827, he served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate. Thomas Jefferson dubbed him "Ultimus Romanorum"—"the last of the Romans".

During his political career he was spokesman for the Old Republican faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that wanted to strictly limit the United States federal government. Along with fellow Old Republicans John Randolph and John Taylor, Macon frequently opposed various domestic policy proposals, and generally opposed the internal improvements promoted by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun.

An earnest defender of slavery, Macon voted against the Missouri Compromise in 1820. In the 1824 presidential election, he received several electoral votes for vice president, despite declining to run, as the stand-in running-mate for William Harris Crawford. He also served as president of the 1835 North Carolina constitutional convention.

After leaving public office, he served as a trustee for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and protested President Andrew Jackson's threat to use force during the Nullification Crisis.