Julian Carr (industrialist)
Encyclopedia
Julian Shakespeare Carr (12 October 1845 – 29 April 1924) was a North Carolina
industrialist and philanthropist. He was married to Nannie Carr, with whom he had two daughters (including Eliza Carr) and three sons.
Carr was the son of Chapel Hill
merchant John W. Carr and Eliza P. Carr, and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. His student days were interrupted by service as a private in the Confederacy. Later in life, he was known as "General Carr," the rank having been bestowed by the state veterans' association due to his long service in veterans' affairs and generosity toward widow
s and their children. In 1923, UNC
bestowed an honorary degree upon Julian Carr.
After the war, Carr became a partner in the tobacco manufacturing firm W. T. Blackwell and Co. in nearby Durham
. His business acumen led to the firm becoming known worldwide through its recognizable Bull Durham trademark. Carr became one of the state's wealthiest individuals, engaging in successful textile, banking (Durham's First National Bank), railroad, public utility (Electric Lighting Company), and newspaper endeavors.
in what was then called West End, North Carolina, by Chapel Hill
. After agreeing to extend electricity
to the town, it was named Carrboro in honor of him. In the 1970s, the mill was restored and opened as Carr Mill Mall
.
Carr was nominated for vice president of the United States
by delegates from North Carolina (and one from Montana
) at the 1900 Democratic National Convention
, at which he gave a speech. He served as a delegate himself to the 1912 convention
.
(where the history building on East Campus is named after him). As Trinity College struggled to overcome postwar dependency on uncertain student tuition and church donations, interested Methodist laymen were crucial to its survival. Carr's name first appears in college records signing a note to forestall foreclosure
on a mortgage
due in 1880. Carr was elected a trustee of Trinity College in 1883, and over the course of the decade acted as benefactor and administrator of the struggling institution that was eventually renamed Duke University. He engineered the selection of John F. Crowell as the institution's new president, and along with Washington Duke
won support to remove the school from its rural setting to Durham
. The move was made possible by Carr's gift of 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) of land for the site.
Carr was noted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Susan B. Anthony
for his encouragement of the formation of the Equal Suffrage League of North Carolina: "At this time, when it was far from popular to stand for this cause, Judge Walter Clark
, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
; Gen. Julian S. Carr, Archibald Henderson, Wade Harris and E.K. Graham acted as an Advisory Committee and gave freely of their time and money to help the League."
A long-time advocate for the welfare of Union veterans, the "high-private," as he liked to refer to himself, was Commander-in-Chief of the Union Veterans at the end of his life.
General Jule, as he was known, served as the representative for the Methodist Episcopal Church South to the United States Food Administration during World War I.
Carr was instrumental in the Western education of Charles Soong and the financing of Soong's Shanghai
Bible
-publishing business, who later was active in Sun Yat-Sen's
attempts to establish a modern republic in China
. Though it is largely forgotten today, Carr was a major financial backer of the Chinese Revolution
.
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
industrialist and philanthropist. He was married to Nannie Carr, with whom he had two daughters (including Eliza Carr) and three sons.
Carr was the son of Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
merchant John W. Carr and Eliza P. Carr, and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. His student days were interrupted by service as a private in the Confederacy. Later in life, he was known as "General Carr," the rank having been bestowed by the state veterans' association due to his long service in veterans' affairs and generosity toward widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
s and their children. In 1923, UNC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
bestowed an honorary degree upon Julian Carr.
After the war, Carr became a partner in the tobacco manufacturing firm W. T. Blackwell and Co. in nearby Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
. His business acumen led to the firm becoming known worldwide through its recognizable Bull Durham trademark. Carr became one of the state's wealthiest individuals, engaging in successful textile, banking (Durham's First National Bank), railroad, public utility (Electric Lighting Company), and newspaper endeavors.
Carrboro
In 1909, Carr purchased the Alberta Cotton Mill from Thomas F. LloydThomas F. Lloyd
Thomas Franklin Lloyd is one of the founders of Carrboro, North Carolina. He was a prominent North Carolina industrialist who built the Alberta Cotton Mill in 1898 in Carrboro; the former factory building is now home to the Carr Mill Mall.He was part of a prominent family that settled in Orange...
in what was then called West End, North Carolina, by Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
. After agreeing to extend electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
to the town, it was named Carrboro in honor of him. In the 1970s, the mill was restored and opened as Carr Mill Mall
Carr Mill Mall
Carr Mill Mall is a small, local shopping mall located in Carrboro, North Carolina. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a host for numerous local live performances and other cultural events.-History:...
.
Carr was nominated for vice president of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
by delegates from North Carolina (and one from Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
) at the 1900 Democratic National Convention
1900 Democratic National Convention
The 1900 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention that took place the week of July 4, 1900 at Convention Hall in Kansas City, Missouri....
, at which he gave a speech. He served as a delegate himself to the 1912 convention
1912 Democratic National Convention
The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. It proved to be one of the more memorable United States presidential conventions of the twentieth century. The main candidates were House Speaker Champ Clark of Missouri and...
.
Philanthropy
Carr was also instrumental in the founding of Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
(where the history building on East Campus is named after him). As Trinity College struggled to overcome postwar dependency on uncertain student tuition and church donations, interested Methodist laymen were crucial to its survival. Carr's name first appears in college records signing a note to forestall foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
on a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
due in 1880. Carr was elected a trustee of Trinity College in 1883, and over the course of the decade acted as benefactor and administrator of the struggling institution that was eventually renamed Duke University. He engineered the selection of John F. Crowell as the institution's new president, and along with Washington Duke
Washington Duke
George Washington Duke was an American tobacco industrialist and philanthropist.-Biography:Duke was born in Orange County, North Carolina , to Taylor Duke and Dicey Jones...
won support to remove the school from its rural setting to Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
. The move was made possible by Carr's gift of 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) of land for the site.
Carr was noted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early woman's movement...
and Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
for his encouragement of the formation of the Equal Suffrage League of North Carolina: "At this time, when it was far from popular to stand for this cause, Judge Walter Clark
Walter Clark (jurist)
Walter McKenzie Clark was a North Carolina politician and jurist who served as an associate justice and chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.-Biography:...
, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
; Gen. Julian S. Carr, Archibald Henderson, Wade Harris and E.K. Graham acted as an Advisory Committee and gave freely of their time and money to help the League."
A long-time advocate for the welfare of Union veterans, the "high-private," as he liked to refer to himself, was Commander-in-Chief of the Union Veterans at the end of his life.
General Jule, as he was known, served as the representative for the Methodist Episcopal Church South to the United States Food Administration during World War I.
Carr was instrumental in the Western education of Charles Soong and the financing of Soong's Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
-publishing business, who later was active in Sun Yat-Sen's
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
attempts to establish a modern republic in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Though it is largely forgotten today, Carr was a major financial backer of the Chinese Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
.
External links
- JULIAN SHAKESPEARE CARR PAPERS Inventory and Biographical Note at Library of the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
- Gravesite at Maplewood cemetery in Durham