Dabney Carr

This article is about the judge and nephew of Thomas Jefferson. For his father, see Dabney Carr (Virginia assemblyman).

Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Dabney Carr, 1826. Library of Congress

Dabney Carr (April 27, 1773 – January 8, 1837) was born at Spring Forest, a Goochland County, Virginia, plantation just three weeks before the death of his father, also named Dabney Carr, brother-in-law and close friend of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson took an active role in the support and education of his nephew after his father's death. He attended Hampden-Sydney College and returned home to study law with William Wirt, who was just one year older. The two men remained friends for the rest of their lives. An extensive collection of their letters can be found in the Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill He started practice in Albemarle County and, in 1811, became Chancellor of the Winchester District. In 1824, he was elected a judge of the Court of Appeals and held this office until his death.

Using the pseudonym Obediah Squaretoes, Carr contributed an article to William Wirt's The Old Bachelor (1814).

His nephew, Dabney Smith Carr, was a newspaper publisher and later was U.S. Minister to Turkey (1843–49).

Sources

• John T. Kneebone et al., eds., Dictionary of Virginia Biography (Richmond, 2006), 3:27-28.

Persondata
Name	Carr, Dabney
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	April 27, 1773
Place of birth
Date of death	January 8, 1837
Place of death