Everything about Jim Hunt totally explained
James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born
May 16,
1937 in
Wilson, NC) was a four-term
Democratic governor of the
U.S. state of
North Carolina (
1977–
1985, and again from
1993–
2001).
Hunt is a graduate of
North Carolina State University, with a
B.S. in agricultural education and a
M.S. in agricultural economics. He also served as
Student Body President. In
1964, he received a
J.D. from the
University of North Carolina School of Law.
Hunt is the only
Governor of North Carolina to have been elected to four terms. He was first elected Governor in 1976 over Republican David Flaherty and was re-elected in 1980, defeating
I. Beverly Lake. He previously served a term as
Lieutenant Governor (1973–1977) under Republican Governor
James Holshouser. Hunt supported a constitutional change during his first term that allowed him to be the first North Carolina governor to run for a second consecutive term.
In 1984 he lost a bitterly contested race for the
U.S. Senate seat held by
Jesse Helms, and left elective politics for several years. He returned in 1992 and defeated Republican Lt. Governor and
Hardees executive
Jim Gardner to win the Governorship. Hunt was re-elected by a large margin over future US Congressman
Robin Hayes in 1996. He left office in January 2001, and was replaced by fellow Democrat, Attorney General
Mike Easley.
Hunt was an early proponent of teaching standards and early childhood education, gaining national recognition for the
Smart Start program for
pre-kindergarteners. In
2000] he was mentioned as possible Democratic nominee for
Vice President of the United States or
Education Secretary for
Al Gore had Gore been successful in the 2000 presidential race. 2004
Democratic nominee Sen.
John Kerry was likewise considering Hunt for Secretary of Education had he won.
Hunt served on the Carnegie Task Force, which created the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and more recently on the Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education.
While some have criticized Hunt for over-spending during the economic boom of the late 1990s, which contributed to severe budget shortfalls in the early 2000s, he'd a long record of energetic leadership in the area of economic development, funding a variety of initiatives that helped transform North Carolina's economy.
Hunt was criticized for allowing
Darryl Hunt (no close relation known) to remain in prison for twenty years after the wrongfully convicted Winston-Salem man was exonerated by exculpatory DNA evidence which pointed to another perpetrator. Darryl Hunt was pardoned by the succeeding Governor, Mike Easley. During his terms in office Hunt oversaw
13 executions (two during first period in office, 11 during second), including first post-Furman execution of female (
Velma Barfield) and first post-Furman execution on North Carolina (
James W. Hutchins).
Governor Hunt chairs the Board of Directors of two institutes which he founded,
The James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy at
UNC-Chapel Hill, and the
Institute for Emerging Issues
at
N.C. State University in Raleigh. He also serves on the North Carolina Advisory Board of
DonorsChoose.
Governor Hunt currently is a member of the law firm of
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, in its Raleigh office.
Hunt is
Presbyterian and attends First Presbyterian Church of Wilson, NC.
James B. Hunt High School in
Wilson County, North Carolina is named for him, as is a dormitory at the
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.
Quotes by Jim Hunt
- "Education is our future — it’s everything. We must not settle for anything short of excellence in our schools."
Further Information
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