Font Size: A A A

Governors

Showing results: 1 to 14 out of 14

Thomas W. Bickett (1869-1921) Encyclopedia

Thomas W. Bickett, a native of Monroe and graduate of Wake Forest College, studied law at the University of North Carolina. After a brief tenure in the state House of Representatives, he served as North Carolina attorney general from 1909 to 1917. In 1916 he was elected governor. Inaugurated on January 11, 1917, Bickett's gubernatorial administration included the beginning of a juvenile court system, the expansion of the state's roads and improvements in education, and the prison system.

Tod Robinson Caldwell (1818-1874) Encyclopedia

Tod Robinson Caldwell is noteworthy in North Carolina history for at least three reasons: he was the first lieutenant governor of North Carolina; he was the second Republican governor of the state; and he assumed governor’s duties after William Woods Holden, the first North Carolina Republican governor, was impeached.

Henry Toole Clark Encyclopedia

Henry Toole Clark was governor of North Carolina during the Civil War from 1861-1862. He was a Democratic leader in the state senate in the critical decade of the 1850s and for a brief time during Reconstruction.

John C. B. Ehringhaus (1882-1949) Encyclopedia

John C. B. Ehringhaus served as a Democratic governor in the most important era's in the state's history since Reconstruction—the Great Depression and New Deal. Ehringhaus intended to maintain the conservative, pro-business policies of his predecessor, O. Max. Gardner, yet like other conservative Democrats in the state, he supported President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was very popular, and favored some New Deal policies--ones that did not threaten the fiscal conservatism of state government. Overall, Ehringhaus limited the impact of the New Deal in the state.

O. Max Gardner (1882-1947) Encyclopedia

O. Max Gardner served as governor of North Carolina from 1929 to 1933, but more importantly, his political organization dominated state politics from the 1920s to the 1940s. As a result, Gardner and his allies controlled the Democratic Party when it dominated the state and the South. Although initially he endorsed publicly the New Deal, Gardner privately criticized some New Deal programs. By the late 1930s, as the New Deal became more pro-labor and anti-business, Gardner privately opposed it and fought to prevent the implementation of Roosevelt’s “court-packing scheme” and supported New Deal opponents during the 1938 election.

William Hawkins (1777-1819) Encyclopedia

When the War of 1812 came, North Carolinians voiced pro and anti-war opinions and debated whether the threat from England was worth answering President Madison’s call for troops. During this time, Governor William Hawkins supported the war effort and cooperated with national authorities in defending the young United States from enemy invasion while increasingly becoming disenchanted with the national government’s lack of military assistance to ensure North Carolina’s safety.

Clyde R. Hoey (1877-1954) Encyclopedia

The administration of Clyde R. Hoey as governor from 1937 to 1941 reaffirmed conservative rule in the state and also the power of the "Shelby dynasty," the label given to the political organization of former governor Max Gardner, Hoey's brother-in-law and fellow resident of Shelby.

Holden Impeachment Encyclopedia

The tumultuous Reconstruction years influenced North Carolina, and political power struggles abounded in the state. In 1870, the Conservative Party won numerous elections, and with its newly gained power, the party worked successfully to impeach Governor William Holden (R). His impeachment marked the second time that an impeachment of a governor occurred in United States history. His conviction marked the first time in the nation’s history

Samuel Johnston (1733-1816) Encyclopedia

Samuel Johnston, one of early North Carolina’s most durable politicians, served as governor during the debate over the ratification of the United States Constitution. In addition to his support for the Constitution, Johnston was known as a governor, in the words of one historian, who displayed “cautious restraint with regard to fiscal and monetary affairs.”

James G. Martin (1935 - ) Encyclopedia

A former Congressman with a Ph.D. in chemistry, James Grubbs Martin came to Raleigh to serve as governor of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. During his gubernatorial terms, Martin focused on roads and education, and the state led the nation in economic development.

Abner Nash (circa 1740-1786) Encyclopedia

Abner Nash served as the second governor of North Carolina during the darkest days of the American Revolution (1780-1781). The first North Carolina constitution gave few powers to the governor, and such limitations frustrated Nash, who disagreed constantly with the legislature. He refused to run for reelection.

Benjamin Smith (1756-1826) Encyclopedia

Born into wealth, Benjamin Smith died in poverty. From 1810 to 1811, Smith served as governor of North Carolina. Although a Democratic-Republican, he never abandoned his former Federalist inclinations.

William B. Umstead (1895-1954) Encyclopedia

As governor of North Carolina from 1953 to 1954, William B. Umstead spent much of his administration bed-ridden, yet he continued working to implement his ideas for what he called a “better tomorrow.”

Warren Winslow (1810-1862) Encyclopedia

A Fayetteville native, Winslow served as governor of North Carolina for less than a month (25 days). After serving the shortest gubernatorial term in North Carolina history, Winslow later served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1855-1861), advised Governor John Ellis (1861), and became chairman of the state’s Military and Naval Board during the Civil War.

© 2009 John Locke Foundation | 200 West Morgan St., Raleigh, NC 27601, Voice: (919) 828-3876
Website design & development by DesignHammer Media Group, LLC. Building Smarter Websites.