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| Elected November 7, 1972 |
If everyone were clothed with integrity, if every heart were just, frank, kindly, the other virtues would be well-nigh useless."— Moliere Tartuffe, V, i (1622-1673)
For North Carolina, for laying a foundation for a competitive two party, for building the NC GOP, and for me personally today is one of celebration. It was forty years ago today. November 7, 1972, that a 38 year old lawyer from Boone was elected the first Republican Governor of the twentieth century. The state has never been the same since. Also that day Jessie Helms was elected to the US Senate, another first for the state since popular election of US Senators began after the Seventeenth Amendment was ratified in 1913. The two were a powerful combination that has shaped the states political landscape.
Governor Jim Holshouser proved that a Republican could govern the state and his is noted for significant accomplishments. His administration was a hallmark of transparency and integrity and established a new departmental structure that is basically what is here today. He was the last governor who was prohibited from seeking a second term.
For me it was one of the most significant moments of my life to which I can link to much of my subsequent professional and political life. I had a tender meeting with my mentor and friend today, and talked to a number of individuals who played key roles in Holshouser's serivice as Governor.
I have been with the former Governor and Pat McCrory when our new Governor-elect described "The Guv", as Holshouser is known among some of us, as his greatest inspiration and most important mentor in McCrory's successful quest for stewardship of our state's future.
Read about the 1972 Election
