Graham Arthur Barden (September 25, 1896 – January 29, 1967) was a

US representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

between 1935 and 1961 for the Democratic Party. Born in

Sampson County, North Carolina Sampson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 59,036 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its county seat is Clinton, North Carolina, Clinton. History Sampson County was established in Apr ...

in 1896, he moved to

Burgaw, North Carolina Burgaw is a town in and the county seat of Pender County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,088 at the 2020 census. Burgaw is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town most likely derives its ...

at the age of 12, where he attended public schools. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Barden was a seaman in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. After leaving the navy in 1919, Barden attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1920. After briefly practicing law and teaching high school that same year, he became a judge in the

Craven County Craven County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 100,720. Its county seat is New Bern, North Carolina, New Bern. The county was ...

courts, a post he held until 1924. In 1932, Barden was elected to the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

; two years later, he won the first of thirteen consecutive terms in the

United States House The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the ...

. During the 78th and 79th Congresses, he chaired the House Education Committee; after that committee merged to become the

Education and Labor Committee The Committee on Education and Workforce is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 45 members of this committee. Since 2025, the chair of the Education and Workforce committee is Republican Tim Walberg o ...

, he again became chairman in the 81st, 82nd, 84th, 85th, and 86th sessions. He was a signatory to the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manife ...

that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

''. He chose not to stand for re-election in 1960 and died in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

in 1967. In 1979, Campbell University Press published a biography by Elmer L. Puryear. Graham A. Barden Elementary School, in

Havelock, North Carolina Havelock is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, Craven County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 20,735 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. The city is home to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, the world's lar ...

is named after him.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barden, Graham A. 1896 births 1967 deaths North Carolina state court judges Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina United States Navy sailors People from Sampson County, North Carolina People from Burgaw, North Carolina 20th-century North Carolina state court judges Signatories of the Southern Manifesto 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly