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Paul H. Robertson

Paul H. Robertson, a Johnston County native who lived in Chapel Hill from the early 1920s, was the local Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance agent and a justice of the peace. A World War I veteran and former adjutant and two-year commander of Chapel Hill's American Legion post, he was elected state commander of the North Carolina American Legion in June 1955.

Source: DigitalNC: Chapel Hill Weekly, June 7, 1955, p. 1 (Paul H. Robertson Elected Department Commander of the NC American Legion)

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Chapel Hill and the 1933 school law: the special district and the ninth month1933 · 9 events · Under the 1933 school machinery act, Chapel Hill's former charter school board asked that its old district become a city unit so that its voters could tax themselves to supplement the state's eight-month term. The State School Commission ruled that such a unit needed a school population of 1,500 and agreed to make Chapel Hill a special district if the country north of Bolin Creek were added. The board set a tax of 18.5 cents on $100 to raise teachers' pay and add a ninth month. When Black registrants complained that the registrar had spoken against the tax while enrolling voters, he resigned. On October 12 the district cast 729 votes for the levy against a registration of 1,239. The American Legion's hut, 1934–19441934–1944 · The Chapel Hill post of the American Legion first planned to make the old Methodist church into its memorial hut, then built a log hut on Rosemary Lane. In December 1934 the post announced a bargain to buy the church for $3,750, but by March 1935 it had given up the plan, finding the work would cost more than it could raise. It then planned a log hut on a Rosemary Lane lot from trees given by country members. Legionnaires did much of the building, and a crew of Black masons filled the cracks between the logs. The first meeting in the hut came on March 19, 1937, and in 1944 the post burned the mortgage. Veterans’ organizations in Orange County, 1943–19581943–1958 · 29 events · Between 1943 and 1958 Orange County's veterans organized posts in each town, and Black veterans formed their own, in Chapel Hill in 1944 and in Hillsboro in 1947. Chapel Hill's American Legion post drew many protests in 1943 for a traveling carnival with a strip act and gambling games, and editor Louis Graves, a Legion member, criticized the post. Hillsborough veterans organized Post No. 85 in 1944. After the war came a Carrboro Legion post, the county's first two Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, a Marine Corps League post and a county veterans' service office. In 1955 Chapel Hill's Paul Robertson became the Legion's state commander, and in 1958 fire gutted Hillsboro's Legion hut, which reopened in 1959.

Dated events connected with this person, in date order. See these 29 dated events in the chronology →

  1. Chapel Hill voting precinct takes in an area formerly in Patterson's precinct Within a few weeks before the 1928 registration, a considerable area east of town toward the Durham County line was moved from Patterson's precinct into the Chapel Hill precinct, so its voters had to register in Chapel Hill. The registration book then held about 1,300 names, though only about 500 had voted in the June primaries. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, October 5, 1928, p. 1
  2. Chapel Hill election officials rebut a charge of illegal student voting After the defeated Republican congressional candidate, Junius Harden, charged that hundreds of University students had voted illegally in Chapel Hill and so elected Major Charles M. Stedman, local officials of both parties said the student voters were legally qualified. The registrar said only 30 or 35 students had registered, and the Republican poll-holder said he had checked every voter. People: Paul H. Robertson, W. O. SparrowSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, November 16, 1928, p. 1
  3. Chapel Hill school district voters approve $15,000 in school bonds Voters of the Chapel Hill graded school district carried two $7,500 bond issues, one 266 to 165 and the other 273 to 158, to pay off notes for buildings and an operating deficit, with money hoped to be left for more boiler capacity. Under the law a majority of the 434 registered voters was needed, and backers spent the day telephoning and driving voters to the polls. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, April 26, 1929, p. 1
  4. Chapel Hill's American Legion post elects Paul Robertson commander The Chapel Hill post of the American Legion chose Paul Robertson as its commander for the coming year, with Owen Robertson and G. M. Kirkland as vice-commanders, W. S. Hogan as adjutant and George H. Lawrence as service officer. Under Robertson the post's membership drive raised its roll to about 110 by January 1930. People: William S. Hogan, George H. LawrenceSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, August 30, 1929, p. 1 (The Post's Officers)
  5. Chapel Hill's American Legion post wins three state trophies At the state American Legion convention in Raleigh in late August 1929, the Chapel Hill post won three trophies for its work in its membership class, and the post's chaplain, Rev. Alfred S. Lawrence, was elected state chaplain. The post was credited with school prizes, sponsoring the Boy Scouts and a junior baseball team, helping get the landing field started, and service officer George Lawrence's aid to veterans' widows and orphans. People: Alfred Stratton Lawrence, George H. Lawrence, Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, August 30, 1929, p. 1
  6. Chapel Hill marks Armistice Day with a reading of the Orange County war dead At the joint University and American Legion ceremony in Gerrard Hall, Dean Addison Hibbard read the roll of the University's World War dead and post commander Paul Robertson the roll of Orange County's, and Col. Joseph Hyde Pratt urged his hearers to vote and serve as they had in 1917 and 1918. The day before, the Legion post showed 'The Soul of France' at the Carolina Theatre with an offering for disabled veterans at Oteen. People: Joseph Hyde Pratt, John M. Booker, Alfred Stratton Lawrence, Paul H. Robertson, Addison HibbardSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, November 15, 1929, p. 1
  7. Chapel Hill Legion post forms a boys' baseball team with Carrboro and Hillsboro players Meeting at Tommie's Tavern on the Durham road, the Chapel Hill post of the American Legion heard that its boys' team for the Legion's state baseball contest had drawn candidates from Carrboro and Hillsboro, and voted money for equipment. The post, now 129 strong, elected Paul Robertson commander and Dr. R. B. Hayes of Hillsboro first vice-commander and set its next meeting for Hillsboro. People: Paul H. Robertson, W. E. ThompsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, June 27, 1930, p. 4
  8. Chapel Hill's American Legion post wins two state trophies At the state American Legion convention in Winston-Salem in the last week of August 1930, the Chapel Hill post won the E. Jack Edwards Trophy for advancing Americanism and the James A. Lockhart Trophy for community service, among posts of its size. The silver cups went on display in Eubanks' drugstore. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, August 29, 1930, p. 6
  9. Orange County veterans rush to borrow on their World War bonus certificates World War veterans across Orange County applied for loans on their bonus certificates under the new federal law so fast that the blank forms ran out and had to be reprinted. George H. Lawrence, service officer of the Chapel Hill American Legion post, handled most of the applications with help from the postmasters at Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsboro, and the first applicants had their money from the Veterans Bureau's Charlotte office by mid-March; most said they needed it for family needs, mortgages and overdue bills. People: George H. Lawrence, Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, March 13, 1931, p. 6
  10. Bonner Sawyer resigns as prosecutor of Chapel Hill's recorder's court At the aldermen's meeting Bonner Sawyer resigned as prosecuting attorney of the recorder's court, a post he had held since the court opened in 1929, and Roy McGinnis was chosen to succeed him. The board also chose Paul Robertson as the court's clerk in place of Jack Andrews, who had resigned. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, September 15, 1933, p. 1 (McGinnis Succeeds Sawyer)
  11. Aldermen replace the school-tax registrar after complaints that he argued against the tax At a special meeting on Saturday, September 16, the aldermen heard Charles C. Craig and Walter Hackney, Black registrants, and others say that registrar Paul Robertson had given his own opinion against the special school tax while enrolling voters. The board found he had not kept the impartiality required, Robertson resigned, Rev. B. J. Howard declined the post, and on Monday the 18th the aldermen elected former postmaster R. D. Herndon. People: Paul H. Robertson, Charles C. Craig, B. J. HowardSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, September 22, 1933, p. 1
  12. Orange County votes against repeal while Chapel Hill votes for it In the referendum on repealing the 18th Amendment, Orange County voted 1,169 to 807 against a convention. Chapel Hill was the only precinct for repeal, 438 to 277, and gave Collier Cobb Jr. 428 votes to J. J. Ward's 280; Carrboro voted 236 to 60 against and gave Ward 243 to Cobb's 47. The state went dry by a wide margin, so the convention was never held. People: Collier Cobb Jr., Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, November 10, 1933, p. 1
Show all 29 dated events
  1. The American Legion agrees to buy the old Methodist church for its Memorial Hut The Chapel Hill post of the American Legion announced in December 1934 that it had closed a bargain with Lueco Lloyd to buy the old Methodist church at Henderson Street and Rosemary Lane for $3,750, to be rebuilt as the American Legion Memorial Hut at a further cost that H. D. Carter estimated at $1,250. The brick building, lately the MacMillan Motor Company's garage, had been the church of Rev. Adolphus W. Mangum in the years after 1875; the post planned an assembly room, kitchen and lounge and meant it to serve as a community center. In February 1935 the Weekly still spoke of the building as bought, but in March the post dropped the plan as too costly, and a member later said it had only negotiated for the purchase. The post put up a log hut on Rosemary Lane instead. People: Luther James Phipps, H. D. Carter, Lueco Lloyd, Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, December 21, 1934, p. 1 · Also: Chapel Hill Weekly, February 22, 1935, p. 1; Chapel Hill Weekly, March 8, 1935, p. 1; Chapel Hill Weekly, March 29, 1935, p. 6; Chapel Hill Weekly, April 19, 1935, p. 1
  2. Movie Guild votes a Sunday show's proceeds to the Legion's building fund The directors of the Chapel Hill Movie Guild voted to give the net proceeds of one Sunday show to the American Legion post toward remaking the old Methodist church at Rosemary and Henderson streets, after a Legion committee told them $1,200 to $1,500 was needed. When the Legion dropped that plan the gift was held over, and late in March it was set for the Will Rogers picture of March 31 to start the post's log hut. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, February 22, 1935, p. 1
  3. Chapel Hill's American Legion post drops its plan to rebuild the old Methodist church The Legion post gave up its plan to buy the old Methodist church at Rosemary and Henderson streets for $3,750 and make it over as a memorial hut, finding the work would cost more than it could raise, and incorporated as Chapel Hill Post No. 6, American Legion, Inc., to build a simple hut instead. By late March it held an option on a lot on Rosemary Lane opposite the Orange Printshop and planned a log hut from trees given by country members. People: William S. Hogan, Luther James Phipps, Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, March 8, 1935, p. 1 · Also: Chapel Hill Weekly, December 21, 1934, p. 1
  4. Chapel Hill re-elects Mayor Foushee and chooses three new aldermen In a town election that drew only 551 voters of perhaps 1,200 to 1,500 qualified, John M. Foushee was re-elected mayor without opposition and L. J. Phipps kept the recorder's court judgeship over Roy McGinnis, 368 to 183. Paul Robertson (284 votes), George Hellen (281) and F. O. Bowman (264) won the three aldermen's seats over Clarence Pickard, J. T. Dobbins, Matt Thompson and Raymond Adams. People: Luther James Phipps, Clarence Pickard, Paul H. Robertson, Frederick O. Bowman, John M. FousheeSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, May 7, 1937, p. 1
  5. The Orange County draft board names an advisory board to help registrants with questionnaires With the order list from Washington in hand, the county draft board named an advisory board, chaired by A. H. Graham of Hillsboro, with members in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsboro, to help registrants fill out the eight-page classification questionnaires. The board began mailing the questionnaires from its Hillsboro office in batches of fifty, with volunteers helping its clerk. People: Alexander H. "Sandy" Graham, Clarence Pickard, Garland O. Reitzel, Owen S. Robertson, Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The Chapel Hill Weekly, November 8, 1940, p. 1
  6. Volunteers man an aircraft observation post at the American Legion Hut Chapel Hill set up an aircraft observation post at the American Legion Hut on Rosemary Lane under chief observer L. J. Phipps, who with his assistants spotted 13 planes in trial watches on November 12. Volunteers were to watch daily from 5 A.M. to 6 P.M. from November 15 through 29, telephoning each sighting as an 'Army flash' to the Army information center in Raleigh, and Phipps said the main purpose was to train civilians for such posts if war came. People: Luther James Phipps, Paul H. RobertsonThe Chapel Hill Weekly, November 14, 1941, p. 1
  7. Chapel Hill's American Legion post burns the mortgage on its hut Chapel Hill Post No. 6 of the American Legion marked the Legion's 25th anniversary on Wednesday evening, March 15, 1944, by burning the mortgage on its hut on Rosemary Lane, after a barbecue for more than 100 members of the post and its auxiliary. Post commander Dewey Horner led the ceremony, and Horner, Paul Robertson and Brack Creel were cited for raising the money to build the hut. People: Luther James Phipps, Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 23, 1944, p. 1
  8. Black veterans form the Craige-Allen post of the American Legion in Chapel Hill At a meeting on Thursday, April 13, 1944, nineteen Black veterans of both world wars paid their dues, voted to form the Craige-Allen post of the American Legion in Chapel Hill and elected D. D. Clark commander. Members of Chapel Hill's Post No. 6 helped with the organizing, and the new post's officers were to be installed on April 20 in the basement of the First Baptist Church. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 20, 1944, p. 1
  9. Orange County is found to have only two justices of the peace When June Harris of Chapel Hill, elected justice of the peace by write-in votes in November, failed to take the oath within thirty days, inquiry showed Orange County had only two justices, Paul H. Robertson of Chapel Hill and Cicero M. Jones of Hillsboro, both commissioned by the governor. The write-in county surveyor, Republican J. Ralph Weaver, had not qualified either. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), March 1, 1945, p. 1
  10. Chapel Hill reelects Mayor Madry and Judge Whitfield and adds Edwin Lanier to the aldermen About 700 Chapel Hill voters reelected Mayor R. W. Madry without opposition (616 votes) and returned Henry A. Whitfield as judge of the recorder's court with 417 votes to 90 for Tom Henry and 17 for Paul Robertson. For three aldermen they chose R. B. Fitch (493), newcomer Edwin S. Lanier (456) and Bruce Strowd (398); F. O. Bowman, an alderman for eight years, lost with 375. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Bruce Strowd, Paul H. Robertson, Henry A. Whitfield, Frederick O. BowmanSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 10, 1945, p. 5
  11. The American Legion stages a week-long fair on Chapel Hill's Airport Road Chapel Hill's American Legion post opened a fair with the Joseph J. Kirkwood Shows on the Airport Road on Labor Day, September 3, with nine rides, fifteen shows and about forty concessions, while a Legion committee closed any show it found lewd. The Legion's share came to $1,799.86 gross and about $1,400 net for its rehabilitation fund, and the post planned to start an annual county fair with farm and livestock exhibits the next year. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), September 6, 1945, p. 1
  12. A Superior Court judge rules Orange justices of the peace cannot try speeding and other traffic cases After the grand jury questioned magistrate Cicero H. Jones's trials of speeding, wrong-side, brake and passing cases, Judge Clawson L. Williams told the court a justice of the peace had no authority to try such cases. The jury noted Jones had tried 34 cases and Paul H. Robertson of Chapel Hill nine since the last term. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), August 22, 1946, p. 7
  13. Chapel Hill re-elects Mayor R. W. Madry and Recorder's Court Judge Henry Whitfield A near-record off-year turnout in Chapel Hill re-elected Mayor R. W. Madry over insurance man Paul H. Robertson, 419 to 261, and Recorder's Court Judge Henry Whitfield over John T. Manning, 385 to 304. P. L. Burch, R. J. M. Hobbs and Obie Davis won four-year seats as aldermen and E. B. Patterson a two-year seat, all unopposed. People: Paul H. Robertson, Henry A. Whitfield, Peter L. BurchSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 8, 1947, p. 1
  14. Chapel Hill elects William S. Stewart judge as Fred Edwards runs for alderman Mayor Edwin S. Lanier was reelected without opposition. William S. Stewart beat Paul H. Robertson 829 to 286 for recorder's court judge, and Oliver K. Cornwell, P. L. Burch and G. Obie Davis won the three aldermen's seats. Fred Edwards, a 57-year-old Black builder whom the News called the second Black candidate for the town board, polled 493 votes, ahead of Giles Horney and James R. Farlow. People: Edwin Sidney Lanier, Oliver K. Cornwell, Paul H. Robertson, Peter L. BurchSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), May 10, 1951, p. 1
  15. The American Legion installs Chapel Hill's Paul Robertson as state commander State and local Legion officers were installed at the Naval ROTC armory in Chapel Hill, where Paul Robertson, a 31-year member of Chapel Hill Post 6 who had been elected state commander at the Raleigh convention in early June, took office and Norman F. Jackson became the post's commander. At the banquet that followed, Orange Voiture 1266 of the Forty and Eight announced its first nursing scholarship, three years at the Watts Hospital School of Nursing for a 1955 Hillsboro High graduate. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), June 30, 1955, p. 6
  16. Paul Robertson's two-story brick store building goes up on Main Street in Carrboro A new two-story brick building owned by Paul Robertson at 108 Main Street in Carrboro had gone up by April 1961, and part of it had already been rented to a business. The News of Orange County's Carrboro column called it an attractive addition to the town's business section.Search the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), April 13, 1961, p. 19
  17. E. O. Hardee resigns from the Carrboro board after twenty years Carrboro commissioner and grocer E. O. (Bill) Hardee resigned from the six-member town board after twenty years, many of them as finance chairman, because he had moved to Calvander outside the town limits. On October 19 the board chose Delos O'Daniel, assistant manager of the N.C. Cafeteria, to fill the six months left in his term. People: Paul H. RobertsonSearch the index · The News of Orange County (Hillsborough), October 15, 1964, p. 5

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