This Goodly Land

John Gorman Barr (November 22, 1823–May 18, 1858)

Other Names Used

• Omega: pen name

Alabama Connections

• Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County: childhood residence, education, adult residence

Selected Works

• Barr, John Gorman. Rowdy Tales from Early Alabama: The Humor of John Gorman Barr. Ed. G. Ward Hubbs. University: University of Alabama Press, 1981.

Biographical Information

John Gorman Barr was born in Milton, N.C., but his family soon moved to Raleigh. His father died when Barr was three, and his mother died shortly after moving the family to Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 1835. Barr was apprenticed to a Tuscaloosa printer, but, in 1838, a local merchant arranged for him to enter the University of Alabama as a scholarship student. Barr earned an AB in 1841 and an MA in 1842. From 1842-1845, Barr was a mathematics tutor at the University. He also studied law privately and was admitted to the bar. Barr began practicing law in 1845. He began writing for the Tuscaloosa Observer during this time. He ran for the Alabama House of Representatives in 1847 but was unsuccessful. When the Mexican War broke out, Barr recruited a company of soldiers from Alabama. He served as captain of this company from November 1847 through July 1848.

After his return from Mexico, Barr resumed his law practice and became editor of the Tuscaloosa Observer. He also wrote for the paper, and some of his stories were reprinted in larger newspapers. In October of 1855, one of his stories appeared in the national weekly The Spirit of the Times under the pen name, “Omega.” Barr’s stories were published nationally for several years. In 1857, Barr again ran for office, this time for the US House of Representatives. The four-way race was acrimonious, and Barr eventually withdrew. In 1858, President James Buchanan appointed Barr to serve as US Consul in Melbourne, Australia. Barr set sail for Australia but died of sunstroke before reaching his post.

Interests and Themes

John Gorman Barr’s stories of frontier life in Alabama are characteristic of the genre of “Old Southwest” humor.

For More Information

Please check your local library for these materials. If items are not available locally, your librarian can help you borrow them through the InterLibrary Loan program. Your librarian can also help you find other information about this author.

There may be more information available through the databases in the Alabama Virtual Library. If you are an Alabama citizen, AVL can be used at your public library or school library media center. You can also get a username and password from your librarian to use AVL at home.

Reference Articles

• Hoole, W. Stanley. "John Gorman Barr: Forgotten Alabama Humorist". Alabama Review 4.2. (1951): 83-116.
• Hubbs, G. Ward. "Letters from John Gorman Barr". Alabama Review 36.4. (1983): 271-284.

Reference Book Chapters and Encyclopedia Entries

• Williams, Benjamin Buford. "Antebellum Prose"; A Literary History of Alabama: The Nineteenth Century. Rutherford, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, . 58-68.

Reference Book Prefaces

• Hubbs, G. Ward. Introduction. Rowdy Tales from Early Alabama: The Humor of John Gorman Barr by John Gorman Barr. Ed. G. Ward Hubbs. University: University of Alabama Press, . 1-11.

Photo courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Last updated on May 30, 2008.