Robert Franklin Armfield (July 9, 1829 – November 9, 1898) was the

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member o ...

from 1875 to 1876, and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

between 1879 and 1883.

Biography

Armfield, born near Greensboro, North Carolina in 1829, attended the common schools and later graduated from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

(now Duke University). After reading law with

John A. Gilmer John Adams Gilmer (November 4, 1805 – May 4, 1868) was a Congressional Representative from North Carolina. Gilmer was born in Guilford County, North Carolina near Greensboro. His parents were Robert Shaw Gilmer and Anne Forbes. He was the br ...

, he was admitted to the bar in 1845 and practiced law in Yadkinville. In 1861, at the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Armfield enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. He served as

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

and later as

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the Thirty-eighth Regiment of North Carolina state troops. After the war, Armfield moved to Statesville and resumed his law practice. While on

furlough A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...

from the Army after being wounded in 1862, Armfield was state solicitor for the sixth district, until he was removed in 1865 by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

William Woods Holden William Woods Holden (November 24, 1818 – March 1, 1892) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 38th and 40th governor of North Carolina. He was appointed by President of the United States, President ...

. He was elected to the North Carolina Senate in 1874 and 1875; during the 1874 session, he was Senate President. Armfield was chosen

and served in that post from 1875 to 1876. In 1878, Armfield was elected to the United States House of Representatives and served two terms, in the 46th and

47th United States Congress The 47th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1881, ...

es (March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883). He did not stand for re-election to the House in 1882, but instead resumed his law practice. In 1889, he was appointed and then elected to a term as a superior court judge, a post he held until his death in Statesville on November 9, 1898. Armfield is buried in Statesville's Oakwood Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armfield, Robert Franklin 1829 births 1898 deaths Duke University Trinity College of Arts and Sciences alumni North Carolina lawyers Democratic Party North Carolina state senators People of North Carolina in the American Civil War Politicians from Greensboro, North Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina Lieutenant Governors of North Carolina North Carolina state court judges 19th-century American politicians American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers