Lawrence H. Fountain (April 23, 1913 – October 10, 2002) was an American lawyer and World War II veteran who served 15 terms as a Democratic U.S. representative from North Carolina from 1953 to 1983.

He practiced law in Tarboro, North Carolina and was active in statewide Democratic Party politics until March 1942 when he entered the United States Army as a private in the infantry.

In this capacity, he served as assistant to United States Ambassador Arthur J. Goldberg during the Security Council debate following the June 6th Arab–Israeli Six-Day War.

He conducted hundreds of investigations into food and drug safety, and led the effort to create inspectors general in federal departments and agencies.

[citation needed] Near the end of his career, Fountain advocated for his constituents and for the American people by urging Congress to move towards less governmental encroachment.

[citation needed] He was a signatory to the 1956 Southern Manifesto[1] that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education.

[7] As the price for his vote for legislation supporting the War on Poverty, he demanded the firing of deputy director Adam Yarmolinsky, who, while with the Defense Department, had helped force integration of public places near military bases in North Carolina.