Charles Laban Abernethy (March 18, 1872 – February 23, 1955) was a Democratic

U.S. Congressman 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 1922 and 1935. Born in

Rutherford College, North Carolina Rutherford College is a town in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the town population was 1,341. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton metropolitan area. The town was named for ...

, Abernethy attended local public schools in Rutherford College before moving to

Beaufort, North Carolina Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, South Carolina) is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina ( ...

in 1893. There, he founded the ''Beaufort Herald'' newspaper. Abernethy studied law at 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 ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1895. Practicing law in Beaufort, he was solicitor of the third (later the fifth) judicial circuit for twelve years, and a member of the executive committee of the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh. The party contr ...

between 1898 and 1900. Abernethy moved to

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 1913, and continued to practice law there. In 1922, he was chosen, in a special election, to fill the seat vacated by the death of Rep. Samuel M. Brinson; he was re-elected to five more terms, serving between November 7, 1922 and January 3, 1935, before being defeated for re-election in 1934. After leaving Congress, he resumed his law practice, retiring in 1938. Abernethy died in 1955 in New Bern and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery. He was a cousin to North Carolina's first Poet Laureate Arthur Talmage Abernethy.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abernethy, Charles Laban 1872 births 1955 deaths People from Burke County, North Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina North Carolina lawyers Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina People from Beaufort, North Carolina University of North Carolina School of Law alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives