Charles F. Dunn was born in North Carolina on January 31, 1856. Prior to the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865, Dunn was enslaved in Lenoir County, North Carolina, by a minister named John P. Dunn (1792-1859).

Upon Dunn's death, eulogists remembered him as a "wealthy banker, realtor, hotel man and unlicensed lawyer." He additionally served as a notary public and as justice of the peace (appointed to a six-year term in 1895). Dunn died in Kinston (Lenoir County) on January 18, 1929.

For more information about Dunn's life, see his autobiographical article "Charles F. Dunn's Card" as published in the Daily Free Press (Kinston) on June 8, 1904.