Archibald Hill Carmichael was born in Dale County, Alabama, near the community of Sylvan Grove.

His father, Jesse Malcolm Carmichael, who fought in the Civil War and lost a hand at the Battle of Antietam, served as Alabama Secretary of State.

He was admitted to the bar that same year and moved to north Alabama to practice law in Tuscumbia.

Active in partisan politics Carmichael was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1916, 1928 and 1932.

After leaving Congress, he returned to Alabama, where he continued to practice law until his death.