- Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry
Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry, (
June 5 ,1825 –February 12 ,1903 ) was a lawyer, soldier, U.S. Congressman, college professor and administrator, diplomat, and officer in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War .Curry was born in Lincoln County, Georgia, grew up in
Alabama and graduated from theUniversity of Georgia in 1843 where he was a member of thePhi Kappa Literary Society . While studying atHarvard Law School , Curry was inspired by the lectures ofHorace Mann and became an advocate of free universal education. He served in theMexican-American War ; in theAlabama State Legislature in 1847, 1853, and 1855; in theUnited States House of Representatives in 1857–61; and in theConfederate Congress . As alieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army, he was a staff aide to GeneralJoseph E. Johnston and GeneralJoseph Wheeler .After the war he studied for the ministry and became a preacher, but the focus of his work was free education in the South. He traveled and lectured in support of state normal schools, adequate rural schools, and a system of graded public schools. He was president of
Howard College , Alabama, and a professor at Richmond College,Virginia . From 1881 until his death he was agent for the Peabody and Slater Funds to aide schools in the South and was instrumental in the founding of theSouthern Education Board . TheCurry School of Education at theUniversity of Virginia is named after him.Curry served as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Spain during 1885–1888 and as ambassador extraordinary to Spain on the coming of age of King Alfonso XIII in 1902. His publications include works on education, American government, and Spanish history. He was awarded the Royal Order of Charles III and several honorary degrees. Curry died on
February 12 ,1903 , and is buried in Richmond,Virginia .Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry is honored by one of
Alabama 's two statues in theUnited States Capitol 'sNational Statuary Hall Collection . It was donated in 1908 and sculpted byDante Sodini .Works
* "Constitutional Government in Spain" (1889)
* "William Ewart Gladstone " (1891)
* "The Southern States of the American Union" (1894)
* "Difficulties, Complications, and Limitations Connected with the Education of the Negro" (1895)
* "Civil History of the Government of the Confederate States, with some Personal Reminiscences" (1901)External links
* [http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/curry.htm NSHC biography]
* [http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/ebind2html.pl/reed_c04?seq=171 "History of the University of Georgia by Thomas Walter Reed", Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949]
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