Gaston, William (1778-1844), was an American jurist and advocate of political rights for Black Americans and Roman Catholics. He served with distinction as a Federalist in the North Carolina Senate and in the United States House of Representatives. A Catholic, he helped persuade North Carolina to give the vote to Roman Catholics. In 1832, Gaston expressed the hope that slavery would be abolished. As a justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, he declared that free Black people were citizens of the United States.
Gaston was born in New Bern, North Carolina, on Sept. 19, 1778. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1796 and later studied law. He was first elected to the state Senate in 1800, and he later served several terms in the state House of Representatives, then known as the House of Commons. He served as a U.S. representative from 1813 to 1817. Gaston served as a judge on the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1833 until his death on Jan. 23, 1844.
