Representative Charles Anderson Wolverton

Charles Anderson Wolverton (October 24, 1880 – May 16, 1969) was a Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey’s 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for nearly 32 years, from 1927 to 1959. Over the course of 16 consecutive terms in office, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his New Jersey constituents.

Wolverton was born in Camden, New Jersey, where he attended the public schools and graduated from Camden High School in 1897. He pursued legal studies at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his law degree in 1900. Shortly thereafter, he was admitted to the bar and began practicing law in his native Camden, establishing the professional foundation that would support his later career in public service.

Early in his career, Wolverton held several important legal and prosecutorial posts in New Jersey. He served as Camden County prosecutor from 1906 to 1913, gaining prominence in local legal circles. In 1913 and 1914 he was appointed special assistant attorney general of New Jersey, a position that broadened his experience in state-level legal affairs. His work in these roles helped to build his reputation as a capable lawyer and public official.

Wolverton entered elective office as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, serving from 1915 to 1918. During his tenure in the state legislature, he rose to a leadership position and became Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1918. His legislative experience at the state level prepared him for national office and positioned him as a prominent Republican figure in southern New Jersey.

In 1926, Wolverton ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey’s 1st congressional district and won, taking office on March 4, 1927. He would go on to serve 16 terms, remaining in Congress until January 3, 1959. His service spanned the late 1920s, the Great Depression, the New Deal era, World War II, and the early years of the Cold War, a period marked by profound economic, social, and geopolitical change. A member of the Republican Party, he nonetheless at times crossed party lines to support key Democratic initiatives.

During his long congressional career, Wolverton became chairman of the influential House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, a panel central to the regulation of transportation, communications, and trade. In this capacity, he played a significant role in shaping national policy affecting commerce and industry. Notably, during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wolverton voted in favor of several major New Deal measures. In 1933 he supported the National Industrial Recovery Act, and in 1935 he voted for the Social Security Act, aligning himself with landmark legislation designed to address the economic hardships of the Great Depression. In 1947–1948, he served on the Herter Committee, a special House committee that studied U.S. foreign aid and helped lay groundwork for postwar foreign policy. Later in his career, he voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, supporting early federal civil rights legislation.

A longtime resident of Merchantville, New Jersey, Wolverton remained closely connected to his home region throughout his years in national office. After deciding not to seek reelection in 1958, he retired from political office at the conclusion of his final term in 1959 and returned to the practice of law, resuming the legal career with which he had begun his professional life.

Charles A. Wolverton died on May 16, 1969, at the age of 88. He was interred in Harleigh Cemetery in Camden, New Jersey, not far from the community where he had been born, practiced law, and built a lengthy career in public service.