Carl Thomas Durham (August 28, 1892 – April 29, 1974) was an American politician who served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

Early life and education

Born in

Orange County, North Carolina Orange County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 148,696. Its county seat is Hillsborough. Orange County is included in the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC Metr ...

, Durham attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

Career

He was a pharmacist from 1912 to 1938. He served as a pharmacist's mate in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1917 to 1918. He served as a member of the city council of

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ...

from 1924 to 1932, and of the Orange County Board of Commissioners 1932 to 1938. He served as a member of the school board of Chapel Hill, North Carolina from 1924 to 1938. He was also a trustee of the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC S ...

. Durham was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-sixth and to the ten succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1961). He served as chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, during which time 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 manif ...

that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in '' Brown v. Board of Education''. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1960 to the Eighty-seventh Congress. In 1964, retired and resided in

Death

He died in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County and Wake County. With a population of 283,506 in the 2020 Census, Durham is the 4th- ...

, April 29, 1974. He was interred in Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery,

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Carl Thomas 1892 births 1974 deaths American pharmacists United States Navy sailors University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 20th-century American politicians People from Orange County, North Carolina