About Henson Barnes
Henson Perrymoore Barnes (1934–2015) was a pivotal figure in North Carolina legal and political history. Born in Bladen County, he served as a U.S. Army paratrooper before earning his law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1961. He practiced law in Goldsboro for 36 years and was inducted into the NC Bar Association's General Practice Hall of Fame. Barnes served eighteen years in the General Assembly, including as Senate President Pro Tempore from 1989 to 1993, and led the 1989 shift of key administrative powers to strengthen the legislative branch. Known as the "conscience of the Senate" and a "lawyer's lawyer," his legislative work included the 1983 Safe Roads Act, creation of the Global TransPark in Kinston, and authoring legislation placing "First in Flight" on state license plates. In retirement he published A Work in Progress and returned to operating a family blueberry farm in White Lake.