Herbert Covington Bonner (May 16, 1891 – November 7, 1965) was a Democratic

U.S. Congressman 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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

between 1940 and 1965. Born in

Washington, North Carolina Washington is a city in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States, located on the northern bank of the Pamlico River. The population was 9,744 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beaufort County. It is commonly known as "Original Wa ...

, Bonner attended school in Warrenton. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and worked as a salesman, a farmer, and then as secretary to Congressman

Lindsay Warren Lindsay Carter Warren (December 16, 1889 – December 28, 1976) was a Democratic politician who served as a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1925 and 1940 and the third Comptroller General of the United States from 1940 to 1954. Ea ...

from 1924 to 1940. Upon Warren's resignation from Congress in 1940, Bonner was elected simultaneously to complete the unexpired term, and was elected to the

77th Congress The 77th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1941, ...

for a full term. He served for twelve full terms, from November 5, 1940 until his death from cancer in Washington, D.C. on November 7, 1965. During the

79th Congress The 79th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945, ...

, he chaired the Committee on Election of President, Vice President, and Representatives in Congress, and in the 84th through 89th Congresses, he chaired the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. 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''. Bonner died in office in 1965 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

; he is buried in Washington, N.C.

Legacy

A former bridge spanning Oregon Inlet on the Outer Banks was named in honor of him and his service to the state of North Carolina. When the bridge was replaced in 2019, 1,000 ft of the Bonner bridge was left to be used a pier and retains the Bonner name. The M/V Herbert C. Bonner, a 25 car ferry was also named for him. The 112 ft. vessel was built in 1970 for the

North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division The North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division is a branch of NCDOT that is responsible for the operation of over two dozen ferry services that transport passengers and vehicles to several islands along the Outer Banks of North Ca ...

to cross Hatteras Inlet between Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands on the outer banks of North Carolina. The ferry was taken out of service and sold by NCDOT. The Bonner was purchased by A&R Marine and now operates on

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...

where it crosses between

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and

Prudence Island Prudence Island is the third-largest island in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island and part of the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, United States. It is located near the geographic center of the bay. It is defined by the United Sta ...

. Bonner was the namesake of the former Herbert C. Bonner Scout Reservation, commonly known as "Camp Bonner", located near Washington, NC. This is now known as the East Carolina Scout Reservation. The portion of the camp on the North side on the Pamlico River still bears the name Camp Bonner and is the regular site of the council camporee for the East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonner, Herbert Covington 1965 deaths People from Washington, North Carolina 1891 births Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 20th-century American politicians Deaths from cancer in Washington, D.C.

Legacy

See also

References

External links