Robert Charles Soles Jr. (December 17, 1934 – February 5, 2021) was a Democratic member of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

, representing the 8th district from 1977 to 2011. His district included Brunswick, Columbus and Pender counties. From 1969 to 1976, Soles served in 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 ...

. Republican Bill Rabon now holds the seat that Soles held for over three decades; it had not been held by a Republican since 1869. Soles was the chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Biography

He was the son of Robert C. (Rob) Soles, a local hardware store owner. He attended the Tabor City school system before leaving briefly to attend university. Soles was a lifelong bachelor with a close endearing friendship to his lifelong law partner, William(Bill) W. Phipps. They built adjacent houses in a private neighborhood on Lake Tabor.

Career

Soles graduated with a B.A. from

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

and received his J.D. from 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 ...

. He was a practicing attorney at Soles, Phipps, Ray, and Prince Law Firm in

Tabor City, North Carolina Tabor City ( ) is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. It is the southernmost town in the county. It is located just north of the North Carolina/South Carolina line, about north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and is just ...

. Sherry Dew Prince broke ties with Soles when she pursued an elected position as a District Judge and she opened a solo practice in

Whiteville, North Carolina Whiteville is the county seat and the most populous city in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,394 at the 2010 census. History Columbus County was created in 1808. In 1810, an act authorized James Bunbury Whi ...

. In 2006, the N.C. Bar Association inducted him into the General Practice Hall of Fame. At one point, the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research named him the 8th most effective member of the legislature. Soles was the founding president of the Southeastern Community College Foundation, a former member of the Governor's Crime Commission, and former board member of the Columbus County Community Foundation and Opera Company of North Carolina.

1980s criminal investigations

Soles was indicted in 1983 for conspiracy, vote buying, perjury, and aiding and abetting bribery. A judge dismissed three of the charges and Soles was acquitted of aiding and abetting Columbus County Commissioner Edward Walton Williamson in obtaining payoffs from undercover FBI agents.

Allegations and Assault conviction

In 2009 allegations from several men were published, claiming that Soles

sexually abused Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is r ...

them when they were minors. In another incident, he allegedly

pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, mace, or capsicum spray is a Tear gas, lachrymator (tear gas) product containing as its active ingredient the chemical compound capsaicin, which irritates the eyes with burning ...

ed a young man. Soles has denied having sexual relations with any of the young men. In an August, 2009 incident, he shot a young man and former legal client in the leg while he was allegedly trying to kick in Soles' front door. Soles' lawyer, Joseph Cheshire, said the shooting was self-defense. Cheshire and Soles both stated that Soles has been generous to former clients in hoping to ease them back to a law-abiding life. On December 30, 2009, Soles (at the time, the longest-serving legislator in the state) announced he would not seek re-election in 2010. On 7 January 2010, Soles was indicted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Soles pled guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and was fined $1,000. The allegations resurfaced in June 2011, with three men having publicly accused Soles of sexual abuse.R.C. Soles accused of taking advantage of troubled teens; ex-senator denies allegations , StarNewsOnline.com
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References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20090903141106/http://www.wwaytv3.com/news_tags/sen_rc_soles_0 *8. https://nrcolumbus.com/r-c-soles-dead-at-86-represented-columbus-42-years-in-general-assembly/

External links

North Carolina General Assembly – Senator R.C. Soles Jr.
Official NC Senate Website
Project Vote Smart – Senator R.C. Soles Jr. (NC)
profile

profile *''Follow the Money'' – R.C. Soles Jr.
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campaign contributions , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Soles, R. C. Jr. 1934 births 2021 deaths American people convicted of assault North Carolina state senators Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina lawyers University of North Carolina School of Law alumni Wake Forest University alumni People from Tabor City, North Carolina North Carolina politicians convicted of crimes 21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly