Peter Carr (January 2, 1770 – February 17, 1815) was an American educator and politician who served several terms in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

. He is primarily known for the

Jefferson–Hemings controversy The Jefferson–Hemings controversy is a historical debate over whether there was a sexual relationship between the widowed U.S. President Thomas Jefferson and his slave and sister-in-law, Sally Hemings, and whether he fathered some or all of h ...

, as he was rumored to have fathered children by

Sally Hemings Sarah "Sally" Hemings ( 1773 – 1835) was an enslaved woman with one-quarter African ancestry owned by president of the United States Thomas Jefferson, one of many he inherited from his father-in-law, John Wayles. Hemings's mother Elizabet ...

Personal life

Carr was born in

Goochland County, Virginia Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its southern border is formed by the James River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,727. Its county seat is Goochland. Goochland County is includ ...

on January 2, 1770, to

Dabney Dabney may refer to: Places in the United States *Dabney, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Dabney, Indiana, an unincorporated community *Dabney, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Dabney, North Carolina, an unincorporated community * Da ...

and Martha Jefferson Carr, sister to

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. Carr was educated in

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

and Williamsburg, and later attended the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

. He briefly practiced as a lawyer. Carr married Esther "Hetty" Smith Stevenson on June 6, 1797, and the two had eight children together. Carr died in his home at Carrsbrook on February 17, 1815.

Career

Politics

Carr supported the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

and in 1799, unsuccessfully ran for the

. A later attempt in 1801 proved to be more successful and he was elected for four terms, from 1801 to 1804, and later from 1807 to 1808. An attempt to run for another term was met with failure, as was his attempt to run for

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 Senate, senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor ...

. Carr triggered the final breach between his uncle and

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

by writing the latter a seemingly sympathetic letter on September 27, 1797 under the pseudonym "John Langhorne." Washington was suspicious of the letter's purpose, suspicions that were finalized when John Nicholas, the Federalist clerk of Albemarle County, Virginia, Jefferson's home county, informed Washington that "Langhorne" was leagued with Republican interests, was attempting to bait Washington into revealing High Federalist principles, and was actually Carr. Carr's exact purpose in writing the letter is unknown.

Education

Carr was a supporter of education and in 1811, he opened up a short-lived academy on his estate Carrsbrook. In the early 1800s he was involved with the founding of the Albemarle Academy, an institution that evolved into the Central College and proved influential with the founding of 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 ...

Jefferson–Hemings controversy

In 1802 journalist

James Thomson Callender James Thomson Callender (1758 – July 17, 1803) was a political pamphleteer and journalist whose writing was controversial in his native Scotland and later, also in the United States. His revelations concerning George Washington, Alexander Hamilto ...

claimed that Thomas Jefferson had fathered children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. These claims were given credence due to several factors such as Jefferson's presence at Monticello during the time periods that the children were conceived and the lack of pregnancies when he was not present. Theories that Carr and his brother Samuel could have fathered the children surfaced in the mid-1800s due to secondhand accounts where

Thomas Jefferson Randolph Thomas Jefferson Randolph (September 12, 1792 – October 7, 1875) of Albemarle County was a Virginia planter, soldier and politician who served multiple terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, as rector of the University of Virginia, an ...

claimed that Peter and Samuel Carr were responsible. These claims are still given credence by some scholars, even though DNA tests in 1998 ruled that the Carrs could not have fathered one of Hemings's children, Eston.

References

External links

1787 letter from Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr
at TeachingAmericanHistory.org
1814 letter from Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr
at

Encyclopedia Virginia Virginia Humanities (VH), formerly the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, is a humanities council whose stated mission is to develop the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of the Commonwealth of Virginia by creating learning opportunities f ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Peter 1770 births 1815 deaths Members of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Goochland County, Virginia People from Albemarle County, Virginia Virginia colonial people Burials at Monticello