Charles Aubrey Eaton

Charles Aubrey Eaton (March 29, 1868 – January 23, 1953) was a Canadian-born American Baptist clergyman, journalist, and Republican politician who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1925 to 1953. His district, which centered on Somerset County, was numbered as the from 1925 to 1933 and the from 1933 to 1953. He was a leading voice in the Republican Party on foreign policy, chairing both the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Herter Committee and signing the United Nations Charter. John D. Rockefeller and his family were among Eaton's Cleveland congregation, and Rockefeller was a powerful supporter of Eaton and his nephew, Cyrus S. Eaton.

Early life and education Charles Aubrey Eaton was born on March 29, 1868 on a farm near Pugwash, Nova Scotia. His father, Stephen Eaton, was a shipbuilder and farmer, and his mother was Mary Desiah (Parker) Eaton. He attended school locally and worked on his father's farm. From 1884 to 1886, he attended school in Amherst, Nova Scotia, where he was baptized and chose to become a Baptist minister. In 1890, he received a B.A. from Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. In 1893, he graduated with the B.D. from Newton Theological Institution and was ordained a Baptist minister. He received the M.A. from McMaster University in Toronto in 1896, was awarded a D.D. by Baylor University in 1899 and Acadia University in 1907, and an LL.D. from McMaster University in 1916. and Mary Brown. However, his ability to work well with both Republicans and Democrats would prompt presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman to frequently invite "Doc" Eaton, as he was sometimes known, to the White House as an informal advisor.

On June 26, 1945, appointed by President Roosevelt, Eaton was one of the signers of the original United Nations Charter, the international organization's foundational treaty, in San Francisco, California.

In 1947 he became chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs and of the Herter Committee. With a Democratic president (Harry S. Truman) and a Republican Congress, and with the influence of economic aid in foreign policy, the chairmanship was a powerful post. Eaton's leadership was at times strongly challenged by the neo-isolationist group in the House, but he achieved the passage of every piece of legislation that he sponsored, including continuation of United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), a program of aid to Greece and Turkey (the Truman Doctrine), and the Marshall Plan. The opposition to these programs centered in the House and Eaton was their chief defender. The passage of the Marshall Plan was a high point in Eaton's political career. President Truman gave testimony in his memoirs to Eaton for his bipartisan support of American foreign policy.