Julian S. Carr

Julian Shakespeare Carr
Born	Template:Birth date North Carolina, U.S.
Died	April 29, 1924(1924-04-29) (aged 78)
Occupation(s)	Businessman, philanthropist
Known for	Tobacco industry, white supremacy advocacy, Silent Sam monument benefactor

Julian Shakespeare Carr (October 12, 1845 – April 29, 1924) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and advocate of white supremacy. The town of Carrboro, North Carolina bears his name.

Early life

Carr was born to John Wesley Carr, a merchant from Chapel Hill, and Eliza P. Carr (née Eliza Pannell Bullock), who hailed from a distinguished North Carolinian planter family. He was related to Governor Elias Carr and Mary Hilliard Hinton. His father was a slave owner.

At the age of sixteen in 1862, Carr enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The following year, he was conscripted into the Confederate States Army, initially assigned to clerical work before joining Company K of the 41st Regiment of North Carolina Troops as a private soldier.

Career

Following the Civil War, Carr returned to complete his studies and then spent two years working with his uncle in Arkansas. Upon returning to North Carolina, he purchased a one-third share in the Durham-based tobacco firm W. T. Blackwell and Company. Under his guidance, the company achieved international prominence through its Bull Durham brand. Carr amassed significant wealth and diversified his business interests into textiles, banking—founding Durham's First National Bank—railroads, public utilities such as the Electric Lighting Company, and media outlets.

In 1909, he acquired the Alberta Cotton Mill near Chapel Hill. After committing to bring electrical service to the area, the community was renamed Carrboro, North Carolina in 1913 to honor him. The mill building was later renovated during the 1970s and transformed into Carr Mill Mall.

National

At the 1900 Democratic National Convention, North Carolina delegates along with one from Montana nominated Carr for Vice President of the United States, where he also delivered an address. He participated as a delegate again at the 1912 Democratic National Convention.

Promotion of white supremacy in North Carolina

During the Jim Crow period, Julian Carr was a prominent proponent of white supremacist ideology in North Carolina. He openly supported the Ku Klux Klan, opposed African-American suffrage guaranteed by the 15th Amendment, and actively worked against an interracial political alliance known as the "Fusion" coalition. Utilizing his ownership of The News & Observer, he promoted white supremacist rhetoric by appointing Josephus Daniels as editor. Carr celebrated the violent 1898 Wilmington massacre, which resulted in the overthrow of an elected government and the deaths of at least 60 Black residents. In public speeches, he asserted that African Americans were better off enslaved and lauded acts of violence including lynching against Black individuals.

In 1880, Carr sought nomination for lieutenant governor and later ran unsuccessfully in the 1900 Democratic primary for U.S. senator on a platform centered on white supremacy.

He was also the principal benefactor for the Silent Sam Confederate monument at UNC-Chapel Hill. At its dedication in 1913, Carr exhorted support for white dominance and recounted an episode shortly after the Civil War when he reportedly horse-whipped an African-American woman who had "publicly insulted" a Southern lady—a story that reemerged in 2011 and fueled controversy leading to the statue’s removal in 2018.

A committed advocate for Confederate veterans, Carr served as commander of North Carolina’s division of United Confederate Veterans from 1899 until 1915 and assumed leadership of the national organization beginning in 1921. He belonged to both iterations of the Ku Klux Klan and publicly defended his membership during Reconstruction-era activities. In 1923, he announced his affiliation with the revived Klan during his keynote speech at a United Confederate Veterans convention.

Philanthropy

Carr was instrumental in the establishment of Duke University, with a historic building on East Campus bearing his name from 1930 until 2018. Following the financial difficulties faced by Trinity College after the war, Carr became a vital supporter and trustee starting in 1883, playing a key role in stabilizing the institution. He was responsible for bringing John F. Crowell into the presidency and, together with Washington Duke, helped secure backing to transfer the college from its rural location in Randolph County to Durham, made possible through Carr’s donation of land.

Documented in Volume VI of The History of Woman Suffrage, Carr was an advocate for the Equal Suffrage League of North Carolina during a period when the movement lacked widespread approval. He contributed both his time and financial resources while serving on its Advisory Committee.

Carr was a dedicated supporter of Confederate veterans, leading North Carolina’s United Confederate Veterans division as commander from 1899 to 1915 and later assuming leadership of the national organization in 1921. Additionally, he was affiliated with both the initial and revived Ku Klux Klan groups, openly defending his involvement during Reconstruction and publicly declaring his membership at the Klan’s 1923 convention.

At the 1913 unveiling of the Confederate Monument (known as Silent Sam) at the University of North Carolina, Carr delivered an address honoring Confederate soldiers and shared a personal anecdote that reflected his perspectives on race relations.

Known by the title General Jule, Carr represented the Methodist Episcopal Church South to the U.S. Food Administration throughout World War I.

Carr also played a significant role in advancing Western education for Charlie Soong and provided financial support for Soong’s Bible publishing enterprise in Shanghai. He was a prominent financier of the 1911 Revolution, endorsing Sun Yat-sen’s mission to modernize China.

Legacy

• The town of Carrboro, North Carolina bears his name.
• Carr Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was fully funded by Carr and constructed in 1900 as a residence hall. Once celebrated as "one of the stateliest buildings on its [UNC-CH] beautiful campus," by 2017 it had fallen into disrepair and was repurposed for administrative use before being renamed in 2020.
• Duke University's Carr Building, initially called "Classroom Building" when built in 1927, was renamed "Carr Building" in 1930 but returned to its original designation in 2018.
• A structure at the Durham School of the Arts, formerly Central Junior High School, carried Carr’s name until it was unanimously removed by the Durham Public Schools Board in 2017 alongside a prohibition on Confederate emblems.
• The Durham chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy is named after Julian S. Carr.
• In celebration of his centennial birth anniversary in 1945, Governor R. Gregg Cherry proclaimed October 12 as Julian S. Carr Day across North Carolina. On this occasion, an editorial in the Durham Sun highlighted numerous institutions bearing his name, including churches, a factory, a library, and a Sunday School class.
• A portrait of Carr is exhibited within the residence of the UNC System President.

Personal life

He wed Nannie Graham Parrish, daughter of Colonel D.C. Parrish, in 1873. Together, they raised four sons and two daughters. Their primary home, Somerset Villa, was regarded as "a jewel of Durham." Additionally, the Carr family possessed a plantation near Hillsborough known as Poplar Hill.

Later referred to as "General Carr," an honorary designation bestowed by the state veterans' association in recognition of his extensive service and generosity toward veterans' families, he was awarded an honorary degree from UNC in 1923. Julian Carr passed away at his daughter's residence in Chicago on April 29, 1924.

Conflicting assessments

Carr was an advocate for white supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan, openly praising the 1898 Wilmington massacre as a "grand and glorious event" and endorsing lynchings.

By 1889, he had been described as "the foremost man in North Carolina," acknowledged for his substantial contributions to educational and philanthropic organizations. At his centennial celebration in 1945, James E. Shepard, president of what is now North Carolina Central University, commended Carr's unwavering support for African American institutions and causes. Carr also served as chairman of the university's board of trustees.

In 1962, Durham’s mayor W. F. Carr emphasized Julian Carr’s generous donations to numerous churches, schools, and universities such as Duke University, Davidson College, Wake Forest University, Saint Mary's School, Elon College, Greensboro College, and North Carolina Central University.

Nevertheless, in 1999, UNC alumnus Sam Shaefer criticized the celebration of Carr due to his promotion of racist beliefs and the concentration of political power among affluent elites.

During discussions surrounding UNC's Silent Sam Confederate monument, historians Peter Coclanis and William Sturkey offered contrasting perspectives. Coclanis acknowledged Carr's racism but highlighted his business innovations and philanthropic efforts, suggesting that individuals should not be defined solely by their worst actions. Conversely, Sturkey argued that Carr’s extensive involvement in white supremacist activities was central to his legacy, portraying him as a key architect of racial oppression with enduring detrimental effects on North Carolina’s democracy.

Coclanis later reiterated that although Carr exhibited racist attitudes by contemporary standards—a trait common among white Americans of his time—he also made meaningful economic contributions and engaged in philanthropy that benefited diverse populations. He maintained that despite shared flaws among historical figures, Carr merits recognition for positive impacts alongside acknowledgment of his racism.

Removal of Carr's name

Carr-washing has emerged as a phenomenon in Durham and Chapel Hill, resulting in Julian Carr’s name being removed from venues such as the Durham Performing Arts Center. This movement was sparked by his 1913 dedication speech for the Confederate Monument (Silent Sam), where he openly expressed pride in employing violence to maintain white supremacy. This address has been cited by Black Lives Matter activists and referenced during events like the University of Virginia march. While there is no documented evidence that Carr personally owned slaves beyond those employed by his businesses, his connections to white supremacist ideology are unmistakable.

• The Durham Board of Education eliminated Carr’s name from a facility at the Durham School of the Arts and introduced a dress code prohibiting attire that intimidates based on race, including Confederate flags, Nazi swastika, and Ku Klux Klan insignia.

• After the Silent Sam statue was toppled, Duke University’s History Department called for renaming Carr Hall. Duke President Vincent Price established a committee composed of students and faculty to reevaluate Carr’s legacy. Following broad community support for renaming, the board of trustees voted on December 1, 2018, to remove Carr's name and temporarily revert to "Classroom Building" until a new designation is selected.

• A petition circulated advocating for renaming Carrboro; however, Alderwoman Jacquie Gist deemed changing the town’s name impractical. Instead, plans were made to install a plaque acknowledging Julian Carr's racist statements.

• In May 2020, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill renamed its Carr Hall to the "Henry Owl Building," honoring Henry Owl—a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and UNC’s first student of color.

External links

• Julian Shakespeare Carr Papers housed at the Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.