After leaving the navy in 1919, Barden attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1920. After briefly practicing law and teaching high school that same year, he became a judge in the Craven County courts, a post he held until 1924.
^Orr, Oliver H.; Puryear, Elmer L. (1981). "Graham A. Barden: Conservative Carolina Congressman". The Journal of American History. 67 (4): 960. doi:10.2307/1888123. JSTOR1888123.
* Alternately named Economic and Educational Opportunities in 104th Congress and Education and the Workforce in 105th through 109th and 112th through 115th Congresses.