Curry, Jabez Lamar Monroe (1825-1903), an American politician and educator, became a major supporter of free public education. In the 1880’s, Curry administered the Peabody Education Fund to aid education in the South. In 1901, he became supervising director of the Southern Education Board.
Curry was born in Lincoln County, Georgia, on June 5, 1825. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he was a representative in the Alabama state legislature—elected three times between 1847 and 1855—and in the U.S. House of Representatives (1857-1861). Curry supported the South in the American Civil War (1861-1865) and served in the Confederate Congress from 1861 to 1864. He then served in the Confederate Army (1864-1865).
After the war, Curry became a Baptist preacher and also taught at Richmond College, Virginia. He served as United States minister to Spain from 1885 to 1888 and as a special ambassador in 1902. Curry died in North Carolina, near Asheville, on Feb. 12, 1903.
