David Rankin Barbee (October 15, 1874, in Murfreesboro,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

—March 7, 1958, Orange,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

) was an American

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, a public relations writer for the

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

administration, and a researcher in

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

, best known for writing on Southern history.David Rankin Barbee: A biographical sketch
/ref> Barbee, known by his middle name Rankin, was descended from a powerful Tennessee political family.

Biography

From 1928 to 1933 Rankin Barbee wrote the column "Profiles" in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

,'' earning him "a large and loyal audience". He joined the administration of President

as a public relations writer for the Federal Alcohol Administration. After his retirement, he became a full-time historic researcher, mostly writing on Southern history and on President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. He published articles in history magazines and books. He was represented by the literary agent

Barthold Fles Barthold "Bart" Fles (February 7, 1902 – December 19, 1989) was a Dutch-American literary agent, author, translator, editor and publisher. Among his many clients were Elias Canetti, Raymond Loewy, Heinrich Mann, Joseph Roth, Felix Salten, Ign ...

. Today his papers are held in the special collections of the

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Library.

Family

Rankin Barbee was the son of Dr. James Barbee and Margaret Rankin of

Jasper, Tennessee Jasper is a town in and the county seat of Marion County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,612 at the 2020 census. The town was formed in 1820 from lands acquired from Betsy Pack, daughter of Cherokee Chief John Lowery. Jasper is p ...

. He was the nephew of Tennessee Attorney General George J. Stubblefield and Federal District Judge William R. Rankin. Barbee, Sr., was the Publishing Agent for the

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

Publishing House in the 1890s and pastor of McKendree Methodist Church at the same time. Rankin Barbee's mother and uncle had moved to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

during the Civil War to be closer to their sister, Mary Anne Rankin, and her husband George Stubblefield. The family's political fortunes were tied to its relationship with then Tennessee Governor and future President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

. Rankin Barbee's grandfather, David Rankin of Jasper, Tennessee, was born in

Greeneville, Tennessee Greeneville is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census was 15,479. The town was named in honor of American Revolutionary War, Revol ...

, and had served in the State legislature with Johnson in the 1830s. In addition, Johnson's maternal grandfather, Andrew McDonough, had married Barbee's great-grandmother, Rhoda Sartain Roberson, in his second marriage. Barbee's family included first cousin Thomas Turley Rankin, who was head attorney for the Home Owners Loan Corporation and the

War Assets Administration The War Assets Administration (WAA) was created to dispose of United States government-owned surplus material and property from World War II. The WAA was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by Executive Or ...

. Rankin's uncle William Roberson Rankin was a Federal District Judge in Nashville from 1863-1865.

Bibliography

Books

* 1928 - ''An Excursion in Southern History'' * 1930 - ''Washington, City of Mighty Events'' * 1946 - ''Did James F. Shunk Forge the

Cotton Mather Cotton Mather (; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a Puritan clergyman and author in colonial New England, who wrote extensively on theological, historical, and scientific subjects. After being educated at Harvard College, he join ...

Letter? The Answer Is: Definitely No.'' * 1947 - ''The Capture of

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

'' * 1951 - ''Lincoln,

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national American financial institution * Chase UK, a British retail bank * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturer * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in ...

, and the Rev. Dr. Richard Fuller''

Manuscripts

* ''The Inside Story of

Lamon Lamon is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Belluno in the Italian region of Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about west of Belluno. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,322 and an area of .All demographics ...

's Life of Lincoln'' * ''Lincoln and Booth'' * ''The Story of Mrs. Robert Greenhow'' (or ''The Nemesis of Abraham Lincoln'')

References

External links

* http://www.firstepoch.com/articles/article05.asp * http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-27249165_ITM {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbee, David Rankin 1874 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers American male journalists Journalists from Tennessee Writers from Tennessee The Washington Post journalists People from Murfreesboro, Tennessee 20th-century American male writers