Charles Orville Whitley (January 3, 1927 – October 27, 2002) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman 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 1977 and 1986. Born in

Siler City, North Carolina Siler City is a town in western Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 7,702. History Siler City began when Plikard Dederic Siler and his wife, Elizabeth Hartsoe Siler, settled about fou ...

, Whitley attended Siler City High School, graduating in 1943. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

from 1944 to 1946, then attended

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 ...

, earning his undergraduate degree in 1949 and a law degree in 1950. He earned an M.A. from the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 1974. Whitley became a lawyer and practiced in

Mount Olive, North Carolina Mount Olive is a town in Duplin and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,198. It is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to the M ...

. There he taught business law classes at Mount Olive Junior College. He became the town's attorney in 1961; that same year, he joined the staff of Congressman

David N. Henderson David Newton Henderson (April 16, 1921 – January 13, 2004) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina from 1961 to 1977. Born on a farm near Hubert, North Carolina, Hend ...

. In 1976 Whitley ran for Congress himself and was elected as a Democrat to the

95th United States Congress The 95th 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, D.C., from January 3, 19 ...

. Re-elected four times (serving in Congress from January 3, 1977 to December 31, 1986). His Republican opponent in the 1982 midterm election was Eugene McDaniel, a former Naval Aviator and Vietnam War

POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...

, whom he defeated 63–36%. He did not seek re-election in 1986, but retired to political consulting. Whitley died in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

in 2002. Whitley was the grandfather of civil rights activist, Annie E. Clark.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitley, Charles Orville 1927 births 2002 deaths Wake Forest University alumni George Washington University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Siler City, North Carolina University of Mount Olive faculty 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives