Henson Perrymoore Barnes (November 18, 1934–November 22, 2015) was an American politician, businessman, and lawyer.[1]

Henson P. Barnes
President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate
In office
January 1, 1989 – January 1, 1993
Preceded byJ. J. Harrington
Succeeded byMarc Basnight
Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 8th district
In office
January 1, 1977 – January 1, 1993
Preceded byThomas Edward Strickland
Succeeded byJohn Kerr III
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 9th district
In office
January 1, 1975 – January 1, 1977
Preceded byWilliam Powell Kemp Jr.
Succeeded byRichard Ralph Grady
Personal details
Born
Henson Perrymoore Barnes

(1934-11-18)November 18, 1934
Bladen County, North Carolina
DiedNovember 22, 2015(2015-11-22) (aged 81)
Raleigh, North Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina
Professionlawyer

Political career

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Barnes served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1975 to 1977,[2] and as a member of the North Carolina Senate from 1977 to 1992.[3]

In his last two terms in the Senate (1989 to 1992), Barnes served as President pro tempore. Under Barnes, that position's power increased at the expense of the Lieutenant Governor, who holds the title of President of the Senate. Shortly after his retirement from the Senate, Barnes published a history of the legislature, A Work in Progress: The North Carolina General Assembly (1993).

Background

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Following service in the United States Army, Barnes was educated at Wilmington College (now UNC-Wilmington) for two years before earning his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and juris doctor degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. He practiced law in Goldsboro, North Carolina, from 1961 until 1997. He once served as chairman of the Wayne County Democratic Party. After retiring from the senate he moved to White Lake, North Carolina, where he continued to live and operate the family blueberry farm. Barnes died on November 22, 2015, in Raleigh, North Carolina.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Obituaries: HENSON P. BARNES". The Goldsboro News-Argus. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  2. ^ J. D. Lewis (2014). "North Carolina State House of Representatives 1975-1976". Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  3. ^ North Carolina Legislative Manual
  4. ^ Hanson P. Barnes-obituary
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North Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by
William Powell Kemp Jr.
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 9th district

1975–1977
Served alongside: Nancy Winbon Chase
Succeeded by
Richard Ralph Grady
North Carolina Senate
Preceded by
Thomas Edward Strickland
Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 8th district

1977–1993
Succeeded by
Preceded by President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate
1989–1993
Succeeded by