William H. Cabell
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William H. Cabell (December 16, 1772January 12, 1853) was a Virginia lawyer, politician, plantation owner and judge aligned with the
Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...
party. He served as Member of 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 ...
, as Governor of Virginia, and as judge on what later became the
Virginia Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...
. Cabell adopted his middle initial in 1795which did not stand for a nameto distinguish himself from other William Cabells, including his uncle, William Cabell Sr.


Early life

Cabell was born at "Boston Hill", in
Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberlan ...
in the
Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...
on December 16, 1772. The eldest of the three surviving sons of Colonel (and burgess) Nicholas Cabell (1750-1803) and Hannah Carrington Cabel (1751-1817), both of the
First Families of Virginia First Families of Virginia (FFV) were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They descended from English colonists who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsburg ...
. His grandfather, Dr. William Cabell, had emigrated from Britain to Virginia, and moved westward along the James River into Goochland County with his family, of which Nicholas was the youngest son (by his second wife). Through his father Cabell was descended from
Henry Daubeney, 1st Earl of Bridgewater Henry Daubeney – also known as, Dabney, 1st Earl of Bridgewater and 2nd Baron Daubeney (December 1493 – 8 April 1548) was an English peer who sat in the House of Lords. Origins He was the son and heir of Giles, 1st Baron Daubeney, KG (1 ...
,
Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney, KG PC (1 June 1451 – 21 May 1508) was an English soldier, diplomat, courtier and politician. Origins Giles Daubeney was the eldest son and heir of Sir William Daubeney (1424-1460/1) of South Ingelby ...
and
Sir Giles Daubeney Sir Giles Daubeney (1395–1446) of Barrington Court and South Petherton, in Somerset, was a Knight of the Shire, Sheriff and High Sheriff. His monumental brass effigy survives in South Petherton Church. Biography Daubeney was born in 1395 at K ...
of
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, and through his mother he was descended from John Strangways. His uncles John Cabell, Joseph Cabell and William Cabell also became prominent planters and government officials in the upper James River watershed, in what became Albemarle County, then Buckingham County and Amherst County in grandfather Dr. Cabell's lifetime. Nicholas Cabell inherited the ''Liberty Hall'' plantation where his grandfather died, and also had sons
Joseph Carrington Cabell Joseph Carrington Cabell (1778-1856) was an American politician. He was member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1808 to 1810 and 1831 to 1835 and the Senate of Virginia The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General As ...
(who helped found 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 ...
and served in both houses of 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 ...
) and Nicholas Cabell (who inherited Liberty Hall but died of tuberculosis). This Cabell's birth family also included daughter Mary Ann Cabell Carrington (1783-1850). At least fourteen members of the extended Cabell family would serve in Virginia's legislature before the American Civil War, and six after the conflict. Young William Cabell studied with private tutors and later attended and graduated from
Hampden–Sydney College gr, Ye Shall Know the Truth , established = , type = Private liberal arts men's college , religious_affiliation = Presbyterian Church (USA) , endowment = $258 million (2021) , president = Larry Stimpert , city = Hampden Sydney, Virginia , cou ...
in 1789. He then moved to Williamsburg and 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 ...
, where he took legal courses from Judge St. George Tucker before graduating in July 1793. Young Cabell then moved to
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
to read law.


Career

Cabell began his legal career soon after his admission to the Virginia bar on June 13, 1794, and also followed his father's footsteps in entering politics, although he would also serve as a judge.


Political career

Amherst County voters first elected William H. Cabell to 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 ...
to succeed his cousin William Cabell Jr. (after this man adopted his distinguishing initial) in 1796. For some time, this William Cabell had lived with both his uncle William Cabell Sr. and cousin William Cabell Jr. at their plantation called "Union Hill" near Liberty Hall. His uncle had represented Amherst County in the legislature for more than three decades—after its foundation from Albemarle County had also at times held all executive and judicial offices in the county until his death, whereupon William Jr. had succeeded to the part-time legislative position, though he proved not as strong a candidate as his father, hence this man's entry into politics. Although Amherst County voters failed to re-elect William H. Cabell after that term, he would serve multiple separate terms as one of Amherst County's two (part-time) delegates before moving across the
James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
into Buckingham County. In one of his early legislative terms, Cabell voted for the Virginia resolutions against the alien and sedition laws, which were designed to impede his political party. Cabell also served as Republican presidential elector in 1800 and 1804. In 1804, legislators elected him as the
14th 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 (number), 13 and preceding 15 (number), 15. In relation to the word "four" (4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a s ...
Governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...
and he served from 1805 to 1808. While he was Virginia's governor, the British sloop of war ''Leopard'' attacked the frigate ''Chesapeake'' off
Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
(the ''Chesapeake''–''Leopard'' affair later known as a forerunner of the War of 1812) and former Virginia governor Thomas Jefferson ordered the arrest of Vice President
Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...
for the
Burr conspiracy The Burr conspiracy was a plot alleged to have been planned by Aaron Burr in the years during and after his term as Vice President of the United States under US President Thomas Jefferson. According to the accusations against Burr, he attempted to ...
. Burr went on trial for treason in Richmond, because much the planning took place in lands Virginia once claimed in the Ohio Valley, but was acquitted as U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice
John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
(a fellow Richmond resident) found insufficient evidence of treason, although much conspiracy.


Planter

The extended Cabell family owned many plantations and mills along the
James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
watershed, and over times bought and sold land as well as enslaved people used to operate those plantations. However, some records are lost, and similar names of his cousins complicate differentiation. In the early 1800s, Cabell's main plantation was in Buckingham County that he bought from his uncle Joseph Cabell (who had called it "Repton"). He renamed "Montevideo" and lived with his family as well as widowed mother until her death. He sold the plantation in the late 1820s and moved his family to Richmond. Thus, the 1820 federal census confirms he lived in New Canton, a township in Buckingham County, and owned 48 enslaved males (19 of them boys) and 50 enslaved females (including 19 girls), most of whom probably worked in the tobacco fields, or possibly cultivated wheat and corn and other market crops. However, federal records did not individually identify slaves until 1850, the last census in this man's life. Thus, in 1840, Judge Cabell's Richmond household included four enslaved boys younger than sixteen years old, two enslaved men between 16 and 24 years old, three enslaved women between 25 and 35 years old and one woman in the 36 to 55 year old category. By that time, he presumably had provided dowries for daughters mentioned in another section, and start-up capital for sons. In the final census of his life, Judge Cabell's Richmond household, in addition to two adult sons (William W. Cabell and Henry Cabell and his wife), also included 60, 50 and 31-year-old women, mulatto girls aged 7 and 8, and mulatto boys aged 15 and 11, probably all working as domestic servants. A similar number of slaves were owned by his eldest son, Dr. Robert G. Cabell, who lived next door with his family.


Judicial career

As his gubernatorial term ended, in December 1808, the General Assembly elected Cabell a judge of the general court, so he sat in Amherst or Buckingham County, or both. Two years later, legislators selected him for a vacant seat on the
Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Virginia is the supreme court, highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and ...
. He began serving on that court on March 21, 1811, and served continuously for more than four decades. He refused to allow a slave to buy his freedom in "Stevenson v. Singleton, 1 Leigh 72 (1829). During the court's reorganization in 1831, Cabell was again selected to the new court, where he became president on January 18, 1842. He remained in this position until 1850, but during the last year before his resignation had several absences due to ill health.


Personal life

Cabell built the Midway Mill in 1787, which later was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but demolished in 1998. In 1795, back in Amherst County, William Cabell married Elizabeth Cabell (1774-1801), but they had no children who survived. After her death, on March 11, 1805, he married Agnes Sarah Bell Gamble, eldest daughter of Colonel Robert Gamble, of Richmond. Their children included: * Emma Catherine Cabell Carrington (1808–1887) * Robert Gamble Cabell (1809–1889) * Elizabeth Hannah Cabell Daniel (1811–1892) * William Wirt Cabell (1813–1891) *
Edward Carrington Cabell Edward Carrington Cabell (February 5, 1816 – February 28, 1896) was the first U.S. Representative from Florida. Biography Born in Richmond, Virginia; attended Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), Lexington, Virginia in 18 ...
(1816–1896), who moved to Florida and served in its legislature, as well as the U.S. Congress. * John Grattan Cabell (1817–1896) * Henry Coalter Cabell (1820–1889). In 1840, Judge Cabell's household consisted of seven free white persons and ten slaves (2 adult men, 4 boys under age 10, 4 adult women). In 1850, he and Agnes lived with lawyer sons William Cabell (aged 35) and Henry Cabell (age 30 and his wife) and an at least the slaves mentioned earlier.


Death and legacy

Cabell died on January 12, 1853, 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 ...
and was interred in
Shockoe Hill Cemetery The Shockoe Hill Cemetery is a historic cemetery located on Shockoe Hill in Richmond, Virginia. History Shockoe Hill Cemetery, as it is presently called, was established in 1820, with the initial burial made in 1822. It was earlier known as the ...
. The
Library of Virginia The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and i ...
holds Cabell's executive papers (as governor of Virginia).
Cabell County, West Virginia Cabell County is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 94,350, making it West Virginia's fourth most-populous county. Its county seat is Huntington. The county was organized in 1809 and named for ...
was named in his honor, as is a residence hall at William & Mary.


References


Further reading

*Brown, A
''The Cabells and their kin: a memorial volume of history, biography, and genealogy''
Richmond, Va.: Garrett and Massie, 1939, pp. 240–255. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cabell, William Henry Governors of Virginia Members of the Virginia House of Delegates College of William & Mary alumni Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Virginia lawyers 1772 births 1853 deaths Hampden–Sydney College alumni Virginia Democratic-Republicans People from Cumberland County, Virginia Cabell County, West Virginia Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States 18th-century American lawyers 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges Cabell family