Caldwell, D. F. (David Franklin), 1814-1898

David Franklin Caldwell (1814-1898) was a politician and businessman of Greensboro, N.C. Caldwell was a member of the North Carolina legislature, 1848-1858, 1864, and 1879. Caldwell was a staunch Unionist and strongly opposed to secession. Nevertheless, with the outbreak of the Civil War he applied for a commission in the Confederate Army which was refused due to his previous political stance and doubts about his loyalty. He therefore enlisted as a private and served two years. After the war he returned to the practice of law and also briefly became involved in the operation of the Greensboro Patriot . In 1868, Caldwell was elected to the United States Congress but was disqualified from service by the Fourteenth Amendment. Caldwell's business interests included the financing of the North Carolina Railroad, as well as other railroads, cotton mills, and banks.

From the guide to the D. F. Caldwell Papers, ., 1830-1898, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)

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