J. L. M. (Jabez Lamar Monroe) Curry

Born in Georgia in 1825 and raised in Alabama, Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry studied at the University of Georgia and Brown University before building a career in law, ministry, and public life. He served in the Alabama legislature, represented Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives, and later joined the Confederate Congress during the Civil War.

After the war, Curry became a Baptist minister and college leader, serving at Howard College in Alabama and Richmond College in Virginia. In the decades that followed, he became widely known for his work with the Peabody Education Fund, where he argued strongly for broader public education across the South.

Later in life, he also served as U.S. minister to Spain. His career stretched across politics, religion, diplomacy, and educational advocacy, making him a notable Southern public figure of the 1800s.