Virginius Dabney (February 8, 1901 – December 28, 1995) was an American teacher, journalist, and writer, who edited the ''
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia.
Circulation
The ''Times-Dispatc ...
''from 1936 to 1969 and wrote several historical books. Dabney won the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for editorial writing in 1948 due in part to his opposition to the
poll tax
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources.
Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
.
In his later years, he was criticized for not standing against Virginia's
massive resistance
Massive resistance was a strategy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd Sr. of Virginia and his brother-in-law James M. Thomson, who represented Alexandria in the Virginia General Assembly, to get the state's white politicians to pass laws and p ...
to school integration.
Youth, education
Virginius Dabney was born on February 8, 1901 at 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 ...
in
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
, where his father, Richard Heath Dabney, was a professor of history.
His mother was a descendant of
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 ...
. His paternal grandfather (also Virginius Dabney, 1835-1894) was a
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
veteran and author of collections of tales about the Commonwealth.
Dabney graduated from
Episcopal High School in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...
. He then studied at 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 ...
, where he was a brother in the
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fifteen ...
fraternity (Eta chapter). He lived at the
Dabney–Thompson House until his father sold that home in 1907.
Teacher, journalist, editor
After teaching for a year at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, in 1922, Dabney went to work in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
, image_map =
, mapsize = 250 px
, map_caption = Location within Virginia
, pushpin_map = Virginia#USA
, pushpin_label = Richmond
, pushpin_m ...
as a journalist at ''
The Richmond News Leader
''The Richmond News Leader'' was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Richmond, Virginia from 1888 to 1992. During much of its run, it was the largest newspaper source in Richmond, competing with the morning ''Richmond Times-Dispatch''. By ...
'', which was then edited by
Douglas S. Freeman. During this period he was also Virginia correspondent for the ''
Baltimore Evening Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'', where he came to the attention of
H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis Mencken (September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, ...
. In 1928, he left ''The News Leader'' for the ''
Richmond Times-Dispatch
The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia.
Circulation
The ''Times-Dispatc ...
'', where he became Chief Editorial Writer in 1934, and editor in 1936. During his time with the ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' Dabney also served as the Upper South correspondent for the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''.
As editor, Dabney was responsible for the editorial page. He editorialized against
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
and in favor of wage and hour laws for women. He was, for his time, a
progressive, and at times a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
voice, opposing the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
and the
poll tax
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources.
Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
. He was not afraid to take on the
Byrd Organization
The Byrd machine, or Byrd organization, was a political machine of the Democratic Party led by former Governor and U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd (1887–1966) that dominated Virginia politics for much of the 20th century. From the 1890s until the l ...
, a political machine of Governor (and later Senator)
Harry F. Byrd
Harry Flood Byrd Sr. (June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and leader of the Democratic Party in Virginia for four decades as head of a political faction that became known as the Byrd Organization. ...
that dominated Virginia's politics from the late 1920s until 1969.
He was also known for opining on less-serious topics, such as the death of
Ellen Glasgow
Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow (April 22, 1873 – November 21, 1945) was an American novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1942 for her novel ''In This Our Life''. She published 20 novels, as well as short stories, to critical ac ...
's dog,
and on the qualities of
grits
Grits are a type of porridge made from boiled cornmeal. Hominy grits are a type of grits made from hominy – corn that has been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization, with the pericarp (ovary wall) removed. Grits are oft ...
and
mint julep
Mint julep is a mixed alcoholic drink, or cocktail, consisting primarily of bourbon, sugar, water, crushed or shaved ice, and fresh mint. As a bourbon-based cocktail, it is associated with the American South and the cuisine of the Southern Un ...
s.
He served on the Southern Policy Committee and the Southern Conference for Human Welfare. In 1948, he was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for editorial writing. He served as president of the
American Society of Newspaper Editors
The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) was a membership organization for editors, producers or directors in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans or faculty at university journalism schools, and leaders and faculty of ...
in 1957–58. He was also a member of the
Peabody Awards
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
Board of Jurors from 1940 to 1942.
On March 1, 1952, Dabney guest starred on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
live variety show, ''
Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town
''Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town'', also known as ''Wonderful Town, USA'', is a half-hour variety television series that aired on CBS from June 16, 1951, to April 19, 1952, in which Faye Emerson visits various cities. Episodes of the program were al ...
'', in which hostess
Faye Emerson
Faye Margaret Emerson (July 8, 1917 – March 9, 1983) was an American film and stage actress and television interviewer who gained fame as a film actress in the 1940s before transitioning to television in the 1950s and hosting her own talk show ...
visited Richmond to accent the kinds of music popular in the city.
In the 1950s, Dabney's editorials took on a more conservative tone. Although he was personally opposed to
massive resistance
Massive resistance was a strategy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd Sr. of Virginia and his brother-in-law James M. Thomson, who represented Alexandria in the Virginia General Assembly, to get the state's white politicians to pass laws and p ...
against
desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...
of Virginia's public schools, the owners of the ''Times-Dispatch'' did not allow him to editorialize against it. Offended by the student activists of the 1960s, Dabney was ambivalent about
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
, whom he admired for his courage regarding the
civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
, but disdained for his "trouble-making" and what Dabney termed "unfair" attacks on the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
.
Later years
Dabney retired from the ''Times-Dispatch'' in 1969, having agreed the previous year to become the first rector of
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...
(created after the merger of the
Medical College of Virginia
The VCU Medical Center is Virginia Commonwealth University's medical campus located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, in the Court End neighborhood. VCU Medical Center used to be known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), which merged with the ...
and the Richmond Professional Institute), but he resigned after less than a year, in part because of protests from Afro-American students, although he remained on the governing board for many years and also wrote its history, ''Virginia Commonwealth University: A Sesquicentennial History'' (1987).
Active in the
Virginia Historical Society
The Virginia Museum of History and Culture founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history. It is a private, n ...
, Dabney served on its executive committee for three decades and as president from 1969 to 1972.
Dabney continued writing during his retirement. Receiving a
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
, he wrote ''Virginia: The New Dominion'' (1971, which became the state history textbook for years). His other books written during this time included ''Richmond: The Story of a City'' (1976), ''Across the Years: Memories of a Virginian'' (1978, his autobiography), ''Mr. Jefferson's University: A History'' (1981) and ''Pistols and Pointed Pens: The Dueling Editors of Old Virginia'' (1987). His least favorably reviewed book may have been ''The Jefferson Scandals, a Rebuttal'' (1981), which concerned the
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 ...
allegations later confirmed by genetic testing. Compilations of his newspaper columns were also published as ''The Last Review: The Confederate Reunion, Richmond, 1932'' (1984) and ''Virginius Dabney's Virginia: Writings about the Old Dominion'' (1986).
Personal life
Dabney married Douglas Harrison Chelf in 1923.
They had two daughters together, Douglas Gibson Dabney Watkinson (born 1929) and Lucy Davis Dabney Leverty (born 1936). Dabney and his wife had been married for 69 years, when she died in 1994.
[ Dabney died the following year, in his sleep at his Richmond home on December 28, 1995, aged 94. They are buried at Hollywood cemetery in Richmond.
]
Bibliography
The following are books by Virginius Dabney:
*''The Patriots'' (editor)
*''Liberalism in the South'' (1932)
*''Below the Potomac'' (1943)
*''Dry Messiah: The Life of Bishop Cannon'' (1949, a revised edition of an unpublished 1929 text)
*''Virginia: The New Dominion'' (1971)
*''Richmond: The Story of a City'' (1976)
*''Across the Years: Memories of a Virginian'' (1978)
*''Mr. Jefferson's University'' (1981)
*''The Jefferson Scandals: A Rebuttal'' (1981)
*''The Last Review: The Confederate Reunion, Richmond, 1932'' (1984)
*''Virginius Dabney's Virginia: Writings about the Old Dominion'' (1986)
*''Virginia Commonwealth University: A Sesquicentennial History'' (1987)
*''Pistols and Pointed Pens: The Dueling Editors of Old Virginia'' (1987)
References
External links
*Oral History Interviews with Virginius Dabne
fro
Oral Histories of the American South
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dabney, Virginius
1901 births
1995 deaths
American male journalists
Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia) alumni
Writers from Richmond, Virginia
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing winners
University of Virginia alumni
Historians of Virginia
20th-century American non-fiction writers
Writers from Charlottesville, Virginia
20th-century American historians
Journalists from Virginia
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American journalists
Historians from Virginia