Ebenezer "Eben" Dorr IV (1787-1846) was a seaman, U.S. Marshal and the first Sheriff of Escambia County elected after Floirda achieved statehood.
| Ebenezer Dorr IV | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 13, 1787 Bath, Sagadahoc, Maine |
| Died | September 4, 1846 Pensacola |
| Occupation | U.S. Marshal, Sheriff |
| Spouse | Judith M. Walker Sarah C. Allen (1826-1846) |
| Parents | William & Jane Partridge Dorr |
| Children | Eben Walker Dorr Mary Brooks Dorr James William Dorr Frances Allen Dorr Ann Worcester Dorr Clara Barkley Dorr Moreno |
Early lifeEdit
Dorr was born on December 13, 1787 in Bath, Maine. He owned a privateering ship during the War of 1812 and was briefly captured and imprisoned in the British Dartmoor Prison.
He returned to Maine and had a son, Eben Walker Dorr, with his first wife Judith Walker. He remarried to Sarah Allen on October 11, 1826. They moved to Pensacola, where Dorr set up a prosperous sea trade, and had their first child in 1827. The family owned slaves and managed real estate.
Marshall & SheriffEdit
On September 13, 1841, President John Tyler appointed Dorr U.S. Marshal of the Western District of the Territory of Florida.[1]
In 1844 Dorr was involved in the case of Jonathan Walker, who aided the escape of seven Pensacola slaves, was captured and returned to the city. Dorr had him placed in the Spanish jail, where he languished for several months until his trial. Found guilty by a jury, Walker's sentence included an hour in the pillory, large fines and the mark "SS" (for "slave stealer") to be branded into his hand. Dorr carried out the sentence.
When Florida was granted statehood on March 3, 1845 (a slave state paired with free state Iowa), he was the first sheriff elected to the post. He remained in the position until his death a year later.
| Preceded by: Peter Woodbine |
Escambia County Sheriff 1842-1846 |
Succeeded by: Mortimar Bright |
ReferencesEdit
- Ebenezer Dorr at Gencircles.com
- John Appleyard. The Peacekeepers: the Story of Escambia County, Florida's 43 Sheriffs. 2007.
- ↑ Note: There is some question of a distinction between the titles "sheriff" and "marshal." Records show that both coexisted in Escambia County, but as the Western District was nearly 200 miles across, it is possible that a U.S. Marshal in the Pensacola area was treated as the de facto sheriff.