Robert Bage Canfield spent his boyhood and youth in New York. He received a B.A. from Columbia University in 1862. After studying at Columbia Law School for several years, he left in 1865 for the West, without a law degree. He returned from silver mining in Nevada to take the New York bar exam in 1868. In 1873 he moved West again when he was admitted to the California bar. He settled in Santa Barbara in 1876 and established his law practice there in 1878, forming a partnership with Henry P. Starbuck in 1896. He was appointed to the bench of the Superior Court by Gov. Stockman in 1886, served as President of the Santa Barbara Bar Association for 17 years, organized the Santa Barbara Water Co., was President of the local Unitarian Society, and showed an active interest in many other civic, state, and national projects. He married Mrs. Louis Davison in 1873.
From the description of Robert Bage Canfield manuscripts, 1858-1862. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 472459506
