Congressman Larry Kissell was sworn in to the United States Congress in January of 2009 to represent the Eighth Congressional District of North Carolina. He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee where he serves on the Readiness and Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittees and the House Agriculture Committee where he serves on the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, and Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittees.

Born on January 31, 1951, Larry is the son of Virene, a retired mathematics teacher, and the late Richard Kissell, a decorated WWII veteran who served as local Postmaster for the town of Biscoe, NC for many years. Larry grew up in Biscoe, attending East Montgomery High School and then Wake Forest University, graduating in 1973 with a degree in Economics and began work in the textile industry.  After a 27 year career in textiles, in 2001 as more and more jobs were lost to bad trade deals, Larry began a new career as a high school civics teacher.  He taught for 7 years at East Montgomery to the students of the town he grew up in and has lived his entire life.

In Congress, Larry has made domestic manufacturing a top priority, becoming a leader of the Buy American movement to promote goods manufactured in the United States. Larry's first major legislative accomplishment came early on in the first month of his first term of 2009 when he successfully introduced and Congress passed the Kissell Amendment, requiring that Transportation Security Administration uniforms be made in America. Larry is a strong voice for fiscal responsibility, leading the fight against our nation's growing debt crisis.

Larry currently serves as Co-Chair of the House Textile Caucus, advocating for the interests of the American textile industry in Congress, and is also Co-Chair of the Invisible Wounds Caucus, a group of members dedicated to supporting and protecting our American veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), wounds that are not always visible upon their return from combat. As part of his leadership on the House Armed Services Committee, Larry works day in and day out for the more than 100,000 veterans and active duty military members who call North Carolina's Eighth District home.   Larry has fought for his constituent's best interests every step of the way during his tenure in Congress.   He is married to Tina Kissell and they have two daughters, Jenny and Aspen.