Robert F. Ligon

Who was Robert F. Ligon?

Robert Fulwood Ligon was the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Alabama. A Democrat, Ligon served Governor George S. Houston of the same political party from 1874 to 1876. Ligon also served in the United States House of Representatives.

The son of Robert and Wilhelmina Ligon, Robert Ligon was born in Watkinsville, Georgia. Ligon began his education in the local schools of Watkinsville and later attended the University of Georgia. After graduating, Ligon moved to Tuskegee, Alabama to study law under Judge David Clopton before being admitted to the Alabama bar association. Prior to the beginning of the American Civil War, Ligon served Alabama as a state senator in 1864, and as a member of the state legislature from Macon County.

In 1874, Ligon was elected as Lieutenant Governor of Alabama in an election campaign that returned the state to white supremacy. Although Ligon served his full two year term as Lieutenant Governor, the position was eliminated in 1875 and would not be reestablished until adoption of the Alabama Constitution in 1901. Upon completion of his term, Ligon was elected to and served in the United States Congress from 1877 to 1879.