State’s Only Four-Term Governor In History Dead At 88

[Conservative Angle]

​

Former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt, a Democrat, died on Thursday.

He was 88.

“It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of my beloved daddy and hero, former Governor Jim Hunt,” North Carolina Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, his daughter, announced on social media.

It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of my beloved daddy and hero, former Governor Jim Hunt. pic.twitter.com/IkSCdUJnkq

— Lt. Governor Rachel Hunt (@NCLtGovernor) December 18, 2025

“He devoted his life to serving the people of North Carolina, guided by a belief that public service should expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and always put people first,” Rachel Hunt added, according to POLITICO.

Hunt is the only four-term governor in North Carolina’s history, serving from 1977 to 1985 and again from 1993 to 2001.

WRAL shared further info:

During his tenure as North Carolina’s second-in-command, he built his own county-by-county network of support outside that of the Democratic Party. The organization vaulted him to landslide victories in the 1976 primary and general election, where he downed former Department of Human Resources Secretary Dave Flaherty to win his first term as governor.

“Let us commit ourselves – here, today – to a new beginning in North Carolina,” he said in his inauguration speech.

Following in the footsteps of progressive Democrats like former Govs. Kerr Scott and Terry Sanford, Hunt pushed an agenda heavy on improving education, cleaning up government and expanding the state’s economy.

As his first act in office, he ordered high-level appointees to sign a code of ethics that required disclosure of financial interests. He also purged Republicans from the upper ranks of state agencies, clearing the way to appoint supporters who could carry out his proposals.

Hunt established a reading program in the first through third grades, limited class size to 26 students and pushed for the creation of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, an elite public high school in Durham. His backing also led to the creation of the Public Staff Office to represent consumers before the state Utilities Commission.

In an effort to copy the success of Silicon Valley, he worked with lawmakers to launch the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, now known as MCNC, in Research Triangle Park. The nonprofit became a technology catalyst for area universities, government agencies and private industry and helped computer-related businesses grow in the state.

“Not only was he the greatest Governor in North Carolina history, he brought a caring and committed purpose to everything he did, especially our children and our schools. I don’t know anyone who worked harder and had a greater positive effect on the people of North Carolina than Jim Hunt. He was a great friend and mentor and I will miss him,” former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said.

pic.twitter.com/70pXVJm60y

— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) December 18, 2025

POLITICO has more:

Considered a business-oriented progressive, Hunt was a giant in state government and influential in the national education reform movement of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He was first elected governor in 1976 and, after a constitutional change, became the first North Carolina governor elected to successive four-year terms.

Following an epic U.S. Senate campaign loss to Republican icon Jesse Helms in 1984, Hunt’s political career resumed eight years later with a third term at the Executive Mansion, followed by reelection in 1996.

Hunt remained active in Democratic politics after leaving office in 2001, particularly as he watched protégés such as former Gov. Roy Cooper and the late U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan achieve higher office. He campaigned for President Barack Obama in 2012 and Hillary Rodham Clinton and Cooper in 2016.

“I can think of no one who shaped North Carolina’s recent successes as much as Governor Jim Hunt,” current Democratic Gov. Josh Stein said Thursday.

The post <a href=https://wltreport.com/2025/12/19/states-only-four-term-governor-history-dead-88/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=states-only-four-term-governor-history-dead-88 target=_blank >State’s Only Four-Term Governor In History Dead At 88</a> appeared first on Conservative Angle | Conservative Angle - Conservative News Clearing House

Continue reading...