Archibald Austin (August 11, 1772 – October 16, 1837) was a 19th-centuryslave owner,[1][2][3] politician and lawyer fromVirginia who served as a member of the15th United States Congress.
Born nearBuckingham Courthouse, Austin studied law and was admitted to the bar, commencing practice inBuckingham County, Virginia. His law office was built on the family slave plantation.[4] He was married to Grace R. Booker and they had three children together.
He was a member of theVirginia House of Delegates from 1815 to 1817 and was elected aDemocratic-Republican to theUnited States House of Representatives in 1816, serving from 1817 to 1819 and voting on 88 total bills and resolutions during his time in Congress.[5] He was not a candidate for re-election in 1818.[6]
After serving in Congress, he resumed his law practice and was apresidential elector on theDemocratic ticket in1832 and1836. Austin returned to the House of Delegates in 1835, serving until his death in 1837.
Austin died nearBuckingham on October 16, 1837, and was interred in the family cemetery with his wife Grace.
His legal papers were sold in the early part of 20th century to theCollege of William and Mary, and the collection is housed in theSwem Library. Many court records were burned in 1869 during the courthouse fire, and Austin's files proved invaluable for research in court records of the period.[7]
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 16th congressional district March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819 | Succeeded by |
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