Robert Digges Wimberly Connor was born September 26, 1878, in Wilson, North Carolina. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Connor was an influential historian who served as secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission (1906-1920). During World War I, he was a member of the National Board of Historical Service and Chairman of the Speakers' Bureau. From 1934 until 1941, Connor served as the first Archivist of the United States. He died on February 25, 1950.