Archibald Austin

Who was Archibald Austin?

Archibald Austin was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Virginia.

Born near Buckingham Courthouse, Buckingham County, Virginia, Austin studied law and was admitted to the bar, commencing practice in Buckingham County, Virginia. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1815 to 1817 and was elected a Democratic-Republican to the United States House of Representatives in 1816, serving from 1817 to 1819. He was not a candidate in 1818. Afterwards, he resumed practicing law and was a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1832 and 1836. Austin returned to the House of Delegates in 1835, serving again until 1837. He died near Buckingham Court House, Virginia on October 16, 1837 and was interred in the family cemetery with his wife Grace, on his estate. His law office was built on the family planatation. His legal papers were sold in the early part of 20th century to the College of William and Mary, the collection is housed in the Swem Library. Many court records burned up in 1869 during the courthouse fire, Austin's files are invaluable for research in court records of the period.