Charles A. Pearson was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on 1875 October 24. His father, Charles William Pearson, was a nephew of Richmond Mumford Pearson, who was chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1859 to 1878. Pearson's father was also a nephew of John Willis Ellis, who was governor of North Carolina from 1859 to 1861. Pearson's mother, Susan Bruce Shepard Pearson, was a niece of James Green Martin, who served as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army and as adjutant general of North Carolina during the Civil War. Pearson's first wife, Margaret Bryan Pearson, was a granddaughter of John Heritage Bryan, who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina from 1825 to 1829.

Pearson graduated with a bachelor's degree in engineering from the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later North Carolina State University) in 1894. His work history as a civil engineer was extensive. From 1895 to 1901, he was a partner in the architectural firm of Pearson & Ashe in Raleigh, North Carolina. Pearson then worked for various engineering firms, contractors, and railroad companies in North Carolina and throughout the South until 1934. During those years, he supervised the construction of many highway and railroad bridges, and other civil engineering projects. From 1934 to 1948, Pearson worked for the firm of William C. Olsen in Raleigh, supervising the building of water and sewage treatment projects in various towns in the state. He then worked for J. N. Pease & Company in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1950 to 1956, when he retired at the age of 81. Pearson died in Charlotte on 1966 July 26.