Julian Shakespeare Carr

Julian Shakespeare Carr was the son of John Carr, a Chapel Hill merchant who had been a business partner of Bartlett Leonidas Durham. Julian spent two years at the University of North Carolina, dropped out to join the Confederate Army, and mustered out as a Cavalry Private at Appomattox.

He first went west to work in a relative's store in Fort Smith, Ark., but for his 25th birthday his father bought him a one-third interest in Blackwell's tobacco company. Showing a flair for promotion, Carr covered the United States and foreign countries with Bull Durham billboards and enlisted celebrity endorsements for the brand.

In the 1880s, Carr branched out into textile manufacturing and banking, later becoming involved in the street railway system, electrical power, and philanthropy. A devout Methodist, Trinity College trustee and active Democrat, he involved himself in Confederate veterans' associations so actively he earned the nickname "General", which was engraved on his tombstone, although, in fact, he never rose above the rank of Private.

Carr is the only individual to have buildings named for him at both the University of North Carolina and Duke University.

Streets
Carr StreetBlackwell StreetChurch StreetElm StreetCorcoran StreetDillard StreetMain Street