Virginius Dabney (February 8, 1901 – December 28, 1995) was an American teacher, journalist, and writer, who edited the Richmond Times-Dispatchfrom 1936 to 1969 and wrote several historical books. Dabney won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1948 due in part to his opposition to the poll tax.[1] In his later years, he was criticized for not standing against Virginia's massive resistance to school integration.[2]
Virginius Dabney was born on February 8, 1901, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, where his father, Richard Heath Dabney, was a professor of history.[3] His mother was a descendant of Thomas Jefferson. His paternal grandfather (also Virginius Dabney, 1835-1894) was a Confederate veteran and author of collections of tales about the Commonwealth.
After teaching for a year at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, in 1922, Dabney went to work in Richmond, Virginia, as a journalist at The Richmond News Leader, which was then edited by Douglas S. Freeman. During this period he was also Virginia correspondent for the Baltimore Evening Sun, where he came to the attention of H. L. Mencken. In 1928, he left The News Leader for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 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.[5]
As editor, Dabney was responsible for the editorial page. He editorialized against Adolf Hitler and in favor of wage and hour laws for women. He was, for his time, a progressive, and at times a liberal voice, opposing the Ku Klux Klan and the poll tax. He was not afraid to take on the Byrd Organization, a political machine of Governor (and later Senator) Harry F. Byrd that dominated Virginia's politics from the late 1920s until 1969.[5] He was also known for opining on less-serious topics, such as the death of Ellen Glasgow's dog,[6] and on the qualities of grits and mint juleps.[7] He served on the Southern Policy Committee and the Southern Conference for Human Welfare. In 1948, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. He served as president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1957–58. He was also a member of the Peabody AwardsBoard of Jurors from 1940 to 1942.[8]
On March 1, 1952, Dabney guest starred on the CBS live variety show, Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town, in which hostess Faye Emerson visited Richmond to accent the kinds of music popular in the city.[9]
In the 1950s, Dabney's editorials took on a more conservative tone. Although he was personally opposed to massive resistance against desegregation 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., whom he admired for his courage regarding the civil rights movement, but disdained for his "trouble-making" and what Dabney termed "unfair" attacks on the Vietnam War.
Later years
Dabney retired from the Times-Dispatch in 1969, having agreed the previous year to become the first rector of Virginia Commonwealth University (created after the merger of the Medical College of Virginia 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).[2] Active in the Virginia Historical Society, 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, 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 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).[2]
Personal life
Dabney married Douglas Harrison Chelf in 1923.[5] They had two daughters together, Douglas Gibson Dabney Watkinson (born 1929) and Lucy Davis Dabney Leverty (born 1936).[10] Dabney and his wife had been married for 69 years, when she died in 1994.[5] 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)
^"The Peabody Awards - George Foster Peabody Awards Board Members". Retrieved May 5, 2021.
^"Faye Emerson's Wonderful Town". Classic Television Archives. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
^"Virginius Dabney (1901-1995) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
^Mr. Jefferson's University. University Press of Virginia. 1981.
External links
Oral History Interviews with Virginius Dabney [1], [2] from Oral Histories of the American South
March 11, 2023
virginius, dabney, american, football, coach, american, football, february, 1901, december, 1995, american, teacher, journalist, writer, edited, richmond, times, dispatchfrom, 1936, 1969, wrote, several, historical, books, dabney, pulitzer, prize, editorial, w. For the American football coach see Virginius Dabney American football Virginius Dabney February 8 1901 December 28 1995 was an American teacher journalist and writer who edited the Richmond Times Dispatchfrom 1936 to 1969 and wrote several historical books Dabney won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1948 due in part to his opposition to the poll tax 1 In his later years he was criticized for not standing against Virginia s massive resistance to school integration 2 Virginius DabneyBornFebruary 8 1901Charlottesville VirginiaDiedDecember 28 1995 1995 12 28 aged 94 Richmond VirginiaOccupation s Teacher journalist writer editorSpouseDouglas Harrison Chelf m 1923 died 1994 wbr Children3 Contents 1 Youth education 2 Teacher journalist editor 3 Later years 4 Personal life 5 Bibliography 6 References 7 External linksYouth education EditVirginius Dabney was born on February 8 1901 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville Virginia where his father Richard Heath Dabney was a professor of history 3 His mother was a descendant of Thomas Jefferson His paternal grandfather also Virginius Dabney 1835 1894 was a Confederate veteran and author of collections of tales about the Commonwealth Dabney graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandria Virginia He then studied at the University of Virginia where he was a brother in the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity Eta chapter He lived at the Dabney Thompson House until his father sold that home in 1907 4 Teacher journalist editor EditAfter teaching for a year at Episcopal High School in Alexandria in 1922 Dabney went to work in Richmond Virginia as a journalist at The Richmond News Leader which was then edited by Douglas S Freeman During this period he was also Virginia correspondent for the Baltimore Evening Sun where he came to the attention of H L Mencken In 1928 he left The News Leader for the Richmond Times Dispatch 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 5 As editor Dabney was responsible for the editorial page He editorialized against Adolf Hitler and in favor of wage and hour laws for women He was for his time a progressive and at times a liberal voice opposing the Ku Klux Klan and the poll tax He was not afraid to take on the Byrd Organization a political machine of Governor and later Senator Harry F Byrd that dominated Virginia s politics from the late 1920s until 1969 5 He was also known for opining on less serious topics such as the death of Ellen Glasgow s dog 6 and on the qualities of grits and mint juleps 7 He served on the Southern Policy Committee and the Southern Conference for Human Welfare In 1948 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing He served as president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors in 1957 58 He was also a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1940 to 1942 8 On March 1 1952 Dabney guest starred on the CBS live variety show Faye Emerson s Wonderful Town in which hostess Faye Emerson visited Richmond to accent the kinds of music popular in the city 9 In the 1950s Dabney s editorials took on a more conservative tone Although he was personally opposed to massive resistance against desegregation 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 whom he admired for his courage regarding the civil rights movement but disdained for his trouble making and what Dabney termed unfair attacks on the Vietnam War Later years EditDabney retired from the Times Dispatch in 1969 having agreed the previous year to become the first rector of Virginia Commonwealth University created after the merger of the Medical College of Virginia 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 2 Active in the Virginia Historical Society 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 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 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 2 Personal life EditDabney married Douglas Harrison Chelf in 1923 5 They had two daughters together Douglas Gibson Dabney Watkinson born 1929 and Lucy Davis Dabney Leverty born 1936 10 Dabney and his wife had been married for 69 years when she died in 1994 5 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 EditThe 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 11 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 Edit Virginius Dabney 94 Southern Writer Who Fought Segregation New York Times December 29 1995 a b c Dabney Virginius 1901 1995 Encyclopedia Virginia Retrieved May 5 2021 Dr Dabney Dies Famous Va Professor Washington Post May 17 1947 p 3 unknown n d National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Dabney Thompson House PDF Virginia Department of Historic Resources Archived from the original PDF on September 27 2012 Retrieved October 15 2013 a b c d Morris Nitschke Marie Virginius Dabney 1901 1995 Encyclopedia Virginia Dictionary of Virginia Biography Retrieved June 15 2015 The Lively Lives of Two Localities Virginia Quarterly Review Summer 1977 Mint Juleps Life June 17 1946 The Peabody Awards George Foster Peabody Awards Board Members Retrieved May 5 2021 Faye Emerson s Wonderful Town Classic Television Archives Retrieved September 2 2013 Virginius Dabney 1901 1995 Find A Grave www findagrave com Retrieved May 5 2021 Mr Jefferson s University University Press of Virginia 1981 External links EditOral History Interviews with Virginius Dabney 1 2 from Oral Histories of the American South Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Virginius Dabney amp oldid 1138687286, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
