John S. Barbour's Birthplace

Just to the south stood Catalpa, where John Strode Barbour was born on 29 Dec. 1820. In 1849, he was appointed the state's representative on the board of directors of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. The board elected him president in 1851 and he continued in this capacity until he resigned in 1884. Barbour served in the House of Representatives from 1880 to 1886. He also was the chairman of the state Democratic Party committee from 1883 to 1890, and was appointed to the U.S. Senate in March 1889, representing Virginia and serving until his death on 14 May 1892. He is buried in Prince George's County, Maryland.