Robert Digges Wimberly Connor (September 26, 1878 – February 25, 1950) was an American historian who served as the first state archivist of North Carolina from 1907 to 1921, and later as the first

Archivist of the United States The Archivist of the United States is the head and chief administrator of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of the United States. The Archivist is responsible for the supervision and direction of the National Archives. The ...

from 1934 to 1941.

Life and career

Connor was born to

Henry G. Connor Henry Groves Connor (July 3, 1852 – November 23, 1924) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Education and career Born on July 3, 1852, in Wilmington, North Caroli ...

and Kate Whitfield Connor on September 26, 1878, in

Wilson, North Carolina Wilson is a city in and the county seat of Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. Located approximately east of the capital city of Raleigh, it is served by the interchange of Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 264. Wilson had an estimated p ...

. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1899. He married Sadie Hanes of Mocksville, North Carolina on December 23, 1902. In his role as the inaugural secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission, Connor lobbied the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

for a building and funding for what became the

State Archives of North Carolina The State Archives of North Carolina, officially the North Carolina Division of Archives and Records, is a division of North Carolina state government responsible for collecting, preserving, and providing public access to historically significant a ...

. He served as the first state archivist of North Carolina from 1907 to 1921. Connor left the North Carolina Historical Commission to become the Kenan Professor of History and Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He held that position until 1934, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to head the National Archives. Connor served as the third president of the Society of American Archivists between 1941 and 1943. He died on February 25, 1950.

References

External links

Connor in the Dictionary of North Carolina BiographyNorth Carolina Historical Marker
1878 births 1950 deaths American archivists American historians National Archives and Records Administration University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni People from Wilson, North Carolina Presidents of the Society of American Archivists Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel {{US-historian-stub