George Craighead Cabell (January 25, 1836 – June 23, 1906) was a nineteenth-century congressman, lawyer and editor from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Early and family life

Born in

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...

, Cabell attended Danville Academy and later the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, from which he graduated in 1857.

Career

After admission to the Virginia bar, Cabell began his legal practice in Danville in 1858. From one of the First Families of Virginia, Cabell was elected Danville's

commonwealth attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

(prosecutor) in 1858, and served until 1861. He was editor of the Republican and later Democratic ''Appeal'' in Danville.

American Civil War

When Virginia seceded in April, 1861, Cabell enlisted in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in 1861. During the first year of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Cabell received a promotion to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and was assigned to the 18th Regiment, Virginia Infantry. He was later promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

which rank he helduntil the end of the war.

Postwar years

Cabell resumed his legal practice in Danville. After Congressional Reconstruction ended, he ran as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1874. He defeated incumbent Republican

Christopher Thomas Christopher Yancy Thomas (March 24, 1818 – February 11, 1879) was a politician and lawyer from Virginia. He served brief terms in the Virginia Senate, Virginia House and U.S. House of Representatives. Early and family life Born in Pittsylva ...

and later won re-election several times, serving from 1875 to 1887. There, Cabell served as chairman of the Committee on Railways and Canals from 1877 to 1881. After losing his bid for reelection in 1886, John R. Brown succeeded to the seat. Cabell resumed his legal practice in Danville, and his son George Craighead Cabell Jr. started a political career, winning election as one of three delegates representing the city in the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

, but resigned and was replaced by J.W. Bruce on November 10, 1903.Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) at p. 578

Death and legacy

Cabell died in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

on June 23, 1906. He was interred in Green Hill Cemetery in Danville.

Elections

*1874; Cabell was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 57.13% of the vote, defeating Republican Christopher Yancy Thomas. *1876; Cabell was re-elected with 60.61% of the vote, defeating Republican Daniel S. Lewis. *1878; Cabell was re-elected with 66.7% of the vote, defeating Independent W.A. Witcher. *1880; Cabell was re-elected with 51.25% of the vote, defeating Readjuster John T. Stovall. *1882; Cabell was re-elected with 52.99% of the vote, defeating Readjuster William E. Sims. *1884; Cabell was re-elected with 55.04% of the vote, defeating Republican J.W. Hartwell. *1886; Cabell lost his re-election bid.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-13 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cabell, George 1836 births 1906 deaths Virginia lawyers University of Virginia School of Law alumni Confederate States Army officers Politicians from Danville, Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers