Arrington, A. H. (Archibald Hunter), 1809-1872

Archibald Hunter Arrington, son of John Arrington (1764-1844), was a planter of Nash County, N.C., Democratic member of the 27th and 28th U.S. congresses, 1841-1845, and of the first Confederate Congress, 1861. He also served in the North Carolina Secession Convention and as a local official of Nash County. He first married Mary Jones Arrington (1820-1851); his second wife was Kate Wimberly Arrington (1834-1871). Archibald's son John Peter Arrington (fl. 1851-1895), was a sheriff of Nash County, and his brother was Samuel L. Arrington (fl. 1806-1866), who ran the family plantations in Alabama.

Archibald Hunter Arrington (1809-1872), son of John (1764-1844) and Elizabeth Arrington (d. 1815), was a planter, U.S. and Confederate congressman, and local official of Nash County, N.C. On 24 April 1839, he married Mary Jones Arrington (1820-1851), daughter of Peter (circa 1768-1837) and Barbara Arrington (d. circa 1847), also of Nash County, N.C., with whom he had two children, Mary (fl. 1848-1883) and John Peter (fl. 1851-1895). Mary died, and, in 1855, Archibald married Kate Wimberly (1834-1871). Children of the second marriage included Thomas Mann (1857-1918), Archibald Hunter (1858-1892), Samuel Lewis (1860-1918), Robert Wimberly (1863-1928), George Wimberly (1864-1885), and Joseph Calhoun (1867-1897).

The Arringtons were one of the wealthier plantation families of antebellum North Carolina. They also owned a number of plantations and slaves in Alabama, where Archibald's brother, Samuel L. Arrington (fl. 1806-1866), lived. In addition to agricultural pursuits, Archibald was active in politics on the state and local levels. In the 1840s, he was elected as a Democrat to the 27th and 28th Congresses, but was defeated in his 1844 re-election bid. He also served in the North Carolina Secession Convention and was elected, in 1861, to the first Confederate Congress, but once again lost his bid for re election. In 1866, he served as a delegate to the Union National Convention in Philadelphia. At the local level, he served as chairman of the Nash County Court of Common Pleas, 1866-1867, and as Nash County commissioner, 1868.

Source: Dictionary of North Carolina Biography .