 | CHAPTER VI History of Virginia |  |
William H. Cabell, Governor,
Dec. 1, 1805-Nov. 30, 1808.
He was born December 6, 1772, in Cumberland County,
Virginia, and was the eldest son of Col. Nicholas and Hannah
Carrington Cabell. In February, 1785, he went to Hampden-Sidney
College, where he continued till September, 1789. In
February, 1790, he went to William and Mary College, where
he remained till July, 1793, graduating there as Bachelor of
Law. He practiced law, and in 1796 was elected a delegate
to the General Assembly. He was also in the Assembly of
1798 and voted for Madison's Resolutions against the Alien
elector on the Republican ticket. In April, 1805, he was
again elected to the Assembly, but within a few days after the
commencement of the session he was made Governor, December
1, 1805, and remained Governor three years. After this he
was a judge of the General Court, and later judge of the Supreme
Court of Appeals, becoming president thereof in 1842.
He served till 1851, when he retired from the bench. He died
at Richmond January 12, 1853. Cabell County in West Virginia
was named for him.
In his message to the Legislature December 1, 1806, Cabell
proved himself a strong friend of schools and urged their
importance. In the same paper he announced the death of the
great George Wythe, and the appointment of Creed Taylor
as chancellor to fill the vacancy.
Two other events distinguish the period of his incumbency.
One was the attack on the U. S. Frigate "Chesapeake," commanded
by Commodore Barron, by the British sloop of war
"Leopard." This outrage stirred the country generally and
exasperated beyond measure Virginia, within whose waters
the affair occurred. The Legislature passed flaming resolutions,
pledging both money and men to stand by the National
Government in defense of the rights of the Union.
The other event was the trial of Aaron Burr in Richmond
for alleged treason against the United States. The arch-conspirator
was defended by John Wickham, Edmund Randolph
and Benjamin Botts, eminent lawyers residing in Richmond,
and by John Baker of Shepherdstown and Luther Martin of
Maryland. Alexander McRae and George Hay of Richmond,
and the brilliant William Wirt were associated with the attorney
general of the United States, Caesar Rodney, in the prosecution.
John Marshall presided, and John Randolph was
foreman of the grand jury, and Col. Edward Carrington, foreman
of the jury that tried Burr. The last three were all bitter
enemies of Jefferson, on whom the duty devolved, as chief
executive, to see that the interest of the government was protected.
the Federalists rallied about Burr and made him a hero and a
martyr to presidential persecution. The result as is well
known was the acquittal of Burr, because of the inability to
prove an overt act of treason, but the suspicion of which he
was prevailingly the subject seemed to attend him through
the remainder of his life. With the revival of Federalism in
recent days this unprincipled agitator is coming again into a
measure of praise.
| CHAPTER VI History of Virginia | |