| Office: | Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives |
| Term Start: | January 1, 1997 |
| Term End: | January 1, 2015 |
| Predecessor: | Edward Norris Tolson |
| Successor: | Shelly Willingham |
| Constituency: | 71st District (1997-2003) 23rd District (2003-2015) |
| Party: | Democrat |
| Birth Date: | 15 April 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Pinetops, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Tarboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation: | educator |
Joe Pat Tolson (April 15, 1941 – February 3, 2019) was an American educator and Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly[1] representing the state's twenty-third House district, including constituents in Edgecombe and Wilson counties. A retired educator from Pinetops, North Carolina, Tolson retired after the 2013-2014 session, serving his ninth term in the state House.[2] He was replaced by Shelly Willingham. Tolson died in 2019 from respiratory failure at a hospital in Tarboro, North Carolina.[3]
Tolson received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Barton College and University of Virginia. He served as assistant vice-president for Edgecombe Community College.[4]
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