Representative Harold Dunbar Cooley

Harold Dunbar Cooley (July 26, 1897 – January 15, 1974) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a Representative from North Carolina in the United States Congress from 1933 to 1967. Over the course of 17 consecutive terms, he represented North Carolina’s Fourth Congressional District, holding office during a transformative period in American history and participating actively in the legislative process on behalf of his constituents.

Cooley was born on July 26, 1897, in Nashville, Nash County, North Carolina. He grew up in eastern North Carolina at the turn of the twentieth century, a largely rural region whose agricultural economy and small-town life would later shape his political interests and priorities. His early years in this environment exposed him to the concerns of farmers and local businesses, experiences that would inform his long public career and his attention to the needs of his district.

Cooley pursued higher education in North Carolina before embarking on a career in law and public service. He studied at the University of North Carolina, where he prepared for the legal profession and developed an interest in public affairs and government. After completing his legal training and being admitted to the bar, he began practicing law in his home state. His legal work, combined with his familiarity with local issues, helped establish his reputation as a capable advocate and positioned him for entry into electoral politics.

Cooley was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat and took his seat in Congress in the early 1930s, serving from 1933 to 1967. During this period, which spanned the Great Depression, World War II, the early Cold War, and the beginnings of the civil rights era, he contributed to the legislative process across a wide range of domestic and international issues. As a member of the House of Representatives, he participated in debates and votes on major national policies and worked to secure federal support and resources for his district and for North Carolina more broadly.

Throughout his 17 terms in office, Cooley represented the Fourth Congressional District of North Carolina, a constituency that included both rural and urban areas and reflected the state’s evolving economic and social landscape. He was repeatedly returned to office by his voters, an indication of sustained local support and confidence in his representation. His long tenure in Congress allowed him to gain seniority, influence committee work, and help shape legislation affecting agriculture, infrastructure, and other matters of importance to his district.

Cooley’s congressional service concluded in the mid-1960s, marking the end of more than three decades in the House. He left office in 1967, closing a career that had begun in the New Deal era and extended through a period of significant national change. After his retirement from Congress, he returned to private life in North Carolina, remaining identified with the public service that had defined much of his adult life.

Harold Dunbar Cooley died on January 15, 1974. His career in the House of Representatives, spanning from 1933 to 1967 and encompassing 17 terms, left a record of sustained participation in the democratic process and long-standing representation of North Carolina’s Fourth Congressional District during a critical era in United States history.