George Dabney
American academic
About George Dabney
Lived 1808 – 1868 (aged 59–60).
George Edward Dabney (1808–1868) was an educator and scholar of classics, who served on the faculty of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) from 1837 to 1854.
Early life George Dabney was born in 1808. He graduated from the University of Virginia.
Career Dabney taught at New London Academy in Bedford County, Virginia. Later, he taught ancient languages at Washington College in 1837. He delivered a graduation address at Washington College in 1838 on the importance of studying classics and published "On the Study of Ancient Languages in the United States," in the Southern Literary Messenger in 1851. He also delivered an address "on the value of writing," to the alumni of the University of Virginia in June 1849.
Dabney was, with fellow Washington College professor Henry Ruffner, active in the anti-slavery movement in western Virginia and he freed several of his slaves in the 1850s.
Death Dabney died in 1868.
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Important facts
People in George Dabney's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was George Dabney?
American academic
When was George Dabney born?
George Dabney was born in 1808.
When did George Dabney die?
George Dabney died in 1868.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). George Dabney. https://biography.guide/george-dabney/
MLA: "George Dabney." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/george-dabney/.
Chicago: "George Dabney." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/george-dabney/.
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