Jim Hunt obit

Jim Hunt, NC governor who won four terms and shaped legacy on education, dies

“It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of my beloved daddy and hero,” Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt said.

 

He was not on the list.

Former Gov. Jim Hunt, the longest serving governor in North Carolina history, who championed education and served as a decades-long stalwart for the state’s Democratic Party, died Thursday, according to Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, his daughter. He was 88. 

“It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of my beloved daddy and hero, former Gov. Jim Hunt,” Rachel Hunt said in a statement Thursday. “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. His leadership and compassion left a lasting impact on the lives of countless North Carolinians.

“To our family, he was a loving husband, dad, and granddad whose kindness and steady hand shaped our lives in immeasurable ways,” she continued. “We are profoundly grateful for the outpouring of love and support as we mourn and celebrate his extraordinary life.”

Hunt served four terms as North Carolina governor, from 1977-1985 and then again from 1993-2000.

In 1984, he ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Jesse Helms, but lost after a hard-fought, bruising campaign that was the most expensive Senate race in history at the time.

He was known as the “education governor,” promoting pre-kindergarten — he created the state’s “Smart Start” program in the 1990s — as well as higher teacher pay. He founded the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. 

Hunt was also an advocate for technology-centered economic development, establishing the N.C. Biotechnology Center and helping to recruit a number of major tenants to Research Triangle Park.

Hunt also convinced North Carolina voters in 1996 to amend the state’s constitution to give the governor veto power. The amendment was approved by a 3-to-1 margin.  

Born in Greensboro, Hunt earned degrees at NC State and UNC School of Law. He worked in Nepal and on Democratic campaigns before running and winning his own campaign for lieutenant governor in 1972.

After four years as lieutenant governor, during which he helped lead efforts to make kindergarten mandatory and raise teacher pay, he ran and won the governorship.

Even after he retired from elected office, Hunt continued to be a driving force in the North Carolina Democratic Party for many years, shaping the state-level candidates who followed him, and stumping and fundraising for a who’s-who list of Democratic presidential candidates.

In his later years, he also founded the Hunt Institute at Duke University, a nonprofit education policy think tank, as well as the Institute for Emerging Issues at N.C. State, a nonprofit that studies a broader range of public policy issues.

Gov. Josh Stein, in a statement Thursday, said he “can think of no one who shaped North Carolina’s recent successes as much as Gov. Jim Hunt.”

“Governor for 16 years, he was a visionary who founded Smart Start, raised teacher pay, protected air quality, and created the NC Biotech Center,” Stein said. On a personal level, he was a mentor and dear friend. Anna and I are keeping Carolyn, Rachel, and the entire Hunt family in our thoughts and prayers. May Gov. Hunt’s memory be a blessing. He certainly was for North Carolina.”

Former governor Roy Cooper called Hunt the greatest governor in North Carolina history.

“He brought a caring and committed purpose to everything he did, especially our children and our schools,” said Cooper. “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.”

For more on the life and political legacy of Jim Hunt, listen to Newsline’s archived interview with Gary Pearce. One of his closest political advisers, Pearce released the authorized biography of the former governor in 2010.