Ebenezer Dorr IV

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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

Ebenezer "Eben" Dorr IV (1787-1846) was a seaman, U.S. Marshal and the first Sheriff of Escambia County elected after Floirda achieved statehood.

Early life

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 & Sheriff

On September 13, 1841, President John Tyler appointed Dorr U.S. Marshal of the Western District of the Territory of Florida.^[1]

Dorr branding "SS" on Jonathan Walker's hand.

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.