A giant: Henson Barnes left his mark on Wayne County and North Carolina

Henson Barnes was a giant among men and especially among politicians.

Barnes, who dominated the political scene in Wayne County for nearly two decades in the latter part of the 20th century, died Sunday.

He served as the president pro tempore of the state Senate for several years after serving as Wayne County's representative in that chamber for over a decade.

Barnes was directly responsible for the creation of the U.S. 70 Goldsboro bypass that is just now reaching its completion. On a hot July night, with legislators straining to adjourn for the summer, Barnes realized that a highway improvement bill up for a vote did not contain a bypass for Goldsboro. Barnes, who had served as a paratrooper in the Army as a young man, informed his colleagues that no one was going anywhere until there was a Goldsboro bypass in the bill. He got one in short order.

The son of a preacher and farmer, Barnes learned early the values of honesty and hard work. He also learned to appreciate people and it showed in his life, which was dedicated to serving his fellow man. The list of his civic and fraternal commitments reads like a laundry list of local clubs and service organizations. And among them all, he found time to practice law successfully. He was, as he was known in the Legislature, "a lawyer's lawyer."

Following his stint as president pro tem of the Senate, Barnes considered running for state attorney general. But after much consideration, he declined because of his lack of name recognition statewide. Many residents then urged him to run for his Senate seat again. But he refused, saying he had promised John Kerr that Kerr could follow in his steps and that he would not go back on his word.

So he returned to the courtroom and eventually to his farm in his native Bladen County.

It will be a while before Wayne County sees the likes of Henson Barnes again.

Published in Editorials on November 24, 2015 11:23 AM