Oral history interview with Horace Kornegay, January 11, 1989

Horace Kornegay was born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1924 and was raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. Kornegay attended Wake Forest College in the early 1940s. After putting his education on hold during World War II, Kornegay completed his undergraduate degree; in 1949 he earned his law degree. During the 1950s, Kornegay practiced law in Greensboro and became involved in local politics. In 1960, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, where he served the Sixth Congressional District of North Carolina until 1969. Distressed by the encroachment of politics into his family life, Kornegay decided to end his political career early and in 1970 accepted an appointment with the Tobacco Institute. During his years as a congressman and as the president of the Tobacco Institute, Kornegay worked closely with North Carolina Senator B. Everett Jordan. Here he describes Jordan's leadership style and the efforts of North Carolina politicians to address matters of import to the state, particularly the tobacco, textiles, and furniture industries.