E. Nelson Cole

E. Nelson Cole
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
In office
January 1, 1997  January 1, 2011
Preceded byKen Miller
Succeeded byBert Jones
Constituency25th District (1997-2003)
65th District (2003-2011)
In office
January 1, 1993  January 1, 1995
Preceded byRector Samuel Hunt III
Peggy Wilson
Succeeded byCary Allred
Ken Miller
Dennis Alan Reynolds
Constituency25th District
Personal details
Born (1937-03-29) March 29, 1937
Charlotte, North Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceReidsville, North Carolina
Alma materUniversity of South Carolina (BS)

Edward Nelson Cole (born Charlotte, North Carolina, March 29, 1937) is a former Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly. A resident of Reidsville, North Carolina, he represented the state's sixty-fifth House district, which includes constituents in Rockingham County, for eight terms.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina (1962), Cole worked as a manager for Ford Motor Company until becoming an auto dealer in 1980. Cole has been active on transportation-related issues, sponsoring a bicycle safety law and being a member of several national transportation groups - the State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Council and the National Conference of State Legislatures standing committee on transportation. As of the 2009-2010 session, he was the co-chairman of the legislature's Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee.

Cole was defeated for re-election to his House seat by conservative independent candidate Bert Jones on November 2, 2010. In the 2012 election, Cole is running to attempt a comeback and return to his former seat.