Education
Although he never attended college, he was awarded honorary bachelor"s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Catawba College during his political career.
United States representative politician
Although he never attended college, he was awarded honorary bachelor"s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Catawba College during his political career.
A Democrat originally from Laurel Springs, North Carolina, he was the Dean of the United States House of Representatives for his last few months in Congress. Robert earned the equivalent of a high-school diploma from the Traphill Academy. Doughton was married twice.
Doughton was a member and deacon of the Laurel Springs Baptist Church.
In the 1990s Rufus Doughton"s former home in Laurel Springs was restored, and it is now a popular bed-and-breakfast for tourists to the region. The Robert L. Doughton House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
In private life, Doughton was a prosperous farmer and banker. By 1900 he owned over 5,000 acres (20 km2) of land in his native Alleghany County, North Carolina, where he raised herds of prized Hereford and Holstein cows.
He was also the owner and president of the Deposit Savings and Loan Bank in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
When the bank merged in 1936 with several other banks and formed the "Northwestern Bank," Doughton briefly served as the new bank"s director His interest in farming led to his being named to the North Carolina Board of Agriculture in 1903. This marked the beginning of his career in politics.
Before being elected to Congress, Doughton served one term in the North Carolina Senate (1908-1909) and was director of the state Prison Board (1909-1911).
Doughton was for 18 years (1933–1947 and 1949–1953) the Chairman of the powerful United States. House Committee on Ways and Means, and as such he co-sponsored, held hearings on, and oversaw the passage of the Social Security Acting in 1935. Doughton was also instrumental in the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway, America"s most-traveled scenic highway.
The largest park and recreational area on the parkway is named in his honor. Doughton is also known for introducing the Marihuana Tax Acting of 1937, which effectively served as a federal ban on marijuana prohibition in the United States in lieu of federal authority to directly regulate medicines or drugs.