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 4th district from 1925 to 1933 and the 5th district 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.
As a pastor, Eaton led Baptist congregations at Natick, Massachusetts (1893–95), Bloor Street, Toronto (1895–1901), Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio (1901–09), and Madison Avenue, New York City (1909–16). 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.
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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.