James Holshouser
James Holshouser | |
---|---|
68th Governor of North Carolina | |
In office January 5, 1973 – January 8, 1977 | |
Lieutenant | Jim Hunt |
Preceded by | Robert Scott |
Succeeded by | Jim Hunt |
Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party | |
In office 1966–1971 | |
Preceded by | Jim Gardner |
Succeeded by | Frank Rouse |
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 44th district | |
In office 1969–1973 | |
Preceded by | Mack Stewart Isaac |
Succeeded by | Ernest Bryan Messer Liston Bryan Ramsey |
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from Watauga County | |
In office 1963–1967 | |
Preceded by | Murray Harris Coffey |
Succeeded by | District abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | James Eubert Holshouser Jr. October 8, 1934 Boone, North Carolina, U.S. |
Died | June 17, 2013 Pinehurst, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 78)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Patricia Ann Hollingsworth
(m. 1961; died 2006) |
Children | 1 |
Education | Davidson College (BS) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (LLB) |
James Eubert Holshouser Jr. (October 8, 1934 – June 17, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the
Holshouser ran for the office of Governor of North Carolina in 1972, winning the Republican nomination and narrowly defeating his Democratic opponent in the general election. Inaugurated in January 1973, he fired many incumbent state employees to accommodate the awarding of patronage to hundreds of Republicans who had been unable to work in the state administration under Democratic control, appointed the first woman in a cabinet-level position in the state's history, and enacted hundreds of cost-cutting measures. Though not empowered with veto power and facing a Democrat-dominated legislature, he cultivated a working relationship with Lieutenant Governor Jim Hunt. Together, they backed the expansion of the state's kindergarten program and environmental legislation and unsuccessfully pursued the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Holshouser governed as a pragmatic centrist, and his control over the state Republican organization was undermined by conservative supporters of U.S. Senator Jesse Helms. Leaving office in January 1977, he practiced law in Southern Pines and served on the UNC Board of Governors before dying in 2013.
Early life
James Eubert Holshouser Jr. was born on October 8, 1934, in
Holshouser enrolled at Appalachian High School in 1948.[5] He served as senior class president (he was elected unopposed), editor of the school newspaper, and was a member of the National Honor Society.[3] Graduating in June 1952,[4] he attended Davidson College for undergraduate studies, majoring in history. He edited the school newspaper, wrote for the yearbook, and was a member of a fraternity, a literary society, and the international relations club. He strongly considered becoming a sports writer, and during his senior year he worked on the sports section of The Charlotte Observer. He later figured making a career out of sports would cause him to tire of them, so he decided to do what his father had done and become a lawyer.[6] He graduated from Davidson College in 1956 and enrolled at the University of North Carolina School of Law in September 1957, earning his law degree in 1960.[7] He subsequently joined his father's law practice in Boone[8] and married Patricia Hollingsworth on June 17, 1961.[9] They had one daughter, Virginia, born in 1963.[7]
Early political career
Though politics was a "casual part of life" in his household while growing up, Holshouser paid little interest in pursuing a political career for much of his early life.[3] He grew more interested in public affairs while at law school, particularly in court reform. During this time he began attending sessions of the North Carolina General Assembly. In 1962 he was elected chairman of the Watauga County Young Republicans.[7]
Holshouser was elected in November 1962 to the
Gubernatorial career
Election
Holshouser declared his candidacy for the office of Governor of North Carolina in
Holshouser campaigned on a platform of raising teachers' salaries, reducing class sizes, expanding the public kindergarten program, building new roads, supporting a war on drugs, and opposing taxes on gasoline and tobacco.[21] Despite the reservations of his wife, he authorized the broadcasting of an ad declaring his opposition to desegregation busing at the encouragement of his media consultant, Roger Ailes.[22] He narrowly defeated Democrat Skipper Bowles in the general election, 767,470 votes to 729,104, likely benefitting from the coattails of Republican Richard Nixon's large victory in North Carolina in the presidential election.[1][23] Holshouser led in the traditionally-Republican mountain and western Piedmont counties, while also gaining a majority in the Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, and Wilmington metro areas.[24] He performed well among women and younger voters, while also appealing more to black voters than more conservative Republicans such as Gardner and U.S. Senator Jesse Helms. Bowles had also been harmed by a fractious primary.[12] Both Republicans and Democrats generally considered Holshouser's victory a "fluke".[25] He was inaugurated on January 5, 1973.[5] At age 38, he was the state's youngest governor since the 19th century and the first Republican governor since Daniel Lindsay Russell was elected in 1896.[12][1]
Executive actions
Holshouser lacked executive experience upon assuming gubernatorial office, and had a tendency to react to others' proposals rather than create his own.[26] Upon taking office, he fired many incumbent state employees to accommodate the awarding of patronage to hundreds of Republicans who had been unable to work in the state administration under Democratic control;[12] 100 employees in the Department of Transportation were removed.[13] Holshouser's first executive order established the Governor's Efficiency Study Commission. After months of study the board recommended 700 cost-cutting measures, including five-year license plates, use of compact cars by state agencies, and centralized printing services.[1] Holshouser's administration adopted about 600 of the suggestions,[27] and he later estimated that the changes saved the state government $80 million annually.[1] Holshouser also pursued a much more active role in the state budgeting process than his predecessors, regularly attending and presiding over sessions of the Advisory Budget Commission.[28]
Holshouser issued a total of 21 executive orders during his tenure.[29] To mitigate the effects of the 1973 oil crisis, he issued instructions to lower speed limits and reduce heating in government buildings.[1] Citing the governor's constitutional prerogative to reorganize departments, he moved the Office of Child Development from the Department of Administration to the Department of Health and Human Services.[30] In 1975 he established an office in Washington, D.C., to coordinate actions between the state and federal governments.[31] During his tenure the Executive Mansion underwent renovations, and for nine months he and his wife lived in a private residence while the work was completed.[18] He also declined to use the governor's office in the North Carolina State Capitol aside from ceremonial purposes.[32]
As governor, Holshouser served as a member of the
Legislative actions
With no veto power over the Democratic-dominated General Assembly, Holshouser tried to avoid political conflict with legislators except over explicitly partisan issues.[26] Party association aside, Holshouser maintained a good relationship with the Assembly, as most of its members had known him when he was a state representative,[40] including Senate majority leader Gordon Allen and Speaker of the House James E. Ramsey.[25] He enjoyed a good working relationship with Lieutenant Governor Jim Hunt, who held sway in the legislature, and during their first two years in office they minimized partisanship in dealing with each other.[41] In some instances the legislature attempted to weaken the powers of his office[40] but Allen, Ramsey, and Hunt—all aspiring to be governor one day—stopped these challenges.[25] The legislature rejected his 1973 proposal to authorize governors to run for a consecutive term.[13]
Holshouser came into office when North Carolina had a $265 million budget surplus, which enabled him to fulfill some of his campaign promises.
Political affairs
In the mid-20th century the two major political parties in North Carolina had little ideological basis; party identification was generally a matter of generational descent tracing back to loyalties from the
In 1974 an electoral backlash against Republicans—in part due to the Watergate scandal—ousted many legislators in North Carolina. Holshouser's interim appointee for attorney general, Carson, was also defeated.[55] All of his judicial appointees, save for a single Democrat, lost re-election.[56] The governor continued to maintain good relations with Democratic legislators, but began experiencing more opposition from Helms' wing of the Republican Party.[46] This was in part due Holshouser's backing of William C. Stevens—a relative of Republican Congressman Jim Broyhill—for nomination in the 1974 U.S. Senate race, instead of Helms' choice, State Senator Hamilton C. Horton.[26] Holshouser and party regulars supported Gerald Ford for president in 1976,[57] with the governor serving as Ford's southern campaign chairman.[1] Helms supported the more conservative Ronald Reagan.[57] Reagan won the North Carolina presidential primary with Helms' backing, and the Republican state convention refused to appoint Holshouser or Broyhill as a delegate to the 1976 Republican National Convention.[58] Holshouser was booed when he addressed the state Republican convention.[59] He attended the national convention anyway, but did not sit with the North Carolina delegation.[13] Legally restricted to one term,[27] Holshouser was succeeded by Hunt as governor on January 8, 1977.[60]
Later life
After leaving office, Holshouser returned to the practice of law,
Holshouser joined with Hunt and former governor Terry Sanford in 1977 in supporting the amending of the North Carolina Constitution to allow gubernatorial succession.[61][13] He decided against pursuing reelection to the governorship, later explaining, "[My wife and I] were very, very tired by the end of 1976. And we were ready for a break from politics, ready to sort of get out of the limelight and back in the private sector because I never really anticipated a political career."[62] Out of office he served on several steering and advisory committees for Republican gubernatorial and senatorial candidates.[63] In 1984 he campaigned for James G. Martin's election as governor[16] and two years later he led a group, Citizens for a Conservative Court, which sought to block James G. Exum's election as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.[64] He also served as Gardner's legislative liaison while the latter was lieutenant governor.[65] In 1997 he and Sanford opened a law firm together.[66] He served on Pat McCrory's political transition team after the latter was elected governor.[34]
Holshouser's wife died in 2006.[18] He died on the morning of June 17, 2013, at First Health of the Carolinas Medical Center in Pinehurst following a decline in his health.[34] His body was cremated[67] and a funeral was held for him on June 21 at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines.[68]
Legacy and honors
A building bearing Holshouser's name was erected at the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hill, Michael (August 27, 2001). "James Eubert Holshouser Jr". NCPedia. NC Government & Heritage Library. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ Covington & Ellis 2002, p. 405.
- ^ a b c Fleer 2007, p. 120.
- ^ UNC-TV. Archived from the originalon January 18, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ a b Cheney 1973, p. 517.
- ^ Fleer 2007, pp. 120–121.
- ^ UNC-TV. Archived from the originalon July 3, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Four More Have Filed For Office". Watauga Democrat. March 15, 1962. pp. 1–2.
- ^ "Hollingsworth–Holshouser Marriage". Watauga Democrat. June 22, 1961. p. 5.
- ^ "Republicans Sweep Watauga Co. Offices : Demos Go Down In Near Record Loss". Watauga Democrat. Vol. LXXV, no. 19. November 8, 1962. pp. 1, 3.
- ^ "Holshouser Sees Reform Of Courts High On List". Watauga Democrat. February 7, 1963. p. 3.
- ^ a b c d e Christensen 2010, p. 229.
- ^ a b c d e Stacks, David (October 24, 1977). "Jim Holshouser discusses Republican Party, Helms, Hunt, and succession". The Daily Tar Heel. p. 8.
- ^ "N.C. Republicans Name Holshouser". Asheville Citizen-Times. March 13, 1966. p. 5.
- ^ Parker, Roy (November 21, 1971). "GOP Picks Rouse As New Chairman". The News & Observer. p. 1.
- ^ UNC-TV. Archived from the originalon July 3, 2007. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Rep. Holshouser Enters Race For GOP Position". The Chowan Herald. November 18, 1971. p. 8A.
- ^ a b c d Christensen, Rob (December 8, 2006). "Former first lady Patricia Holshouser, 67, dies". The News & Observer.
- ^ Eamon 2014, p. 143.
- ^ Eamon 2014, p. 144.
- ^ UNC-TV. Archived from the originalon January 18, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ Christensen 2019, pp. 237–238.
- ^ Cheney 1973, p. 345.
- ^ a b Eamon 2014, p. 150.
- ^ a b c Eamon 2014, p. 158.
- ^ a b c d Bass 1995, p. 238.
- ^ a b c d Gerard, Philip (April 27, 2021). "The 1970s: A Political Sea Change". Our State. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ Dennis 1975, p. 12.
- ^ Bernick & Wiggins 1984, p. 6.
- ^ Bernick & Wiggins 1984, p. 7.
- ^ Fleer 1994, p. 104.
- ^ Fleer 1994, p. 106.
- ^ Haemmel 1979, pp. 238–239.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Former Gov. Jim Holshouser Dies". The Pilot. June 17, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ Lowery 2018, p. 159.
- ^ Fergus 2009, pp. 90b, 197.
- ^ "Morgan Steps Down, Carson Fills Attorney General Position". The Chowan Herald. August 29, 1974. p. 8B.
- ^ "Six Dems lose jobs in labor". The Gastonia Gazette. Associated Press. October 7, 1975. p. 8.
- ^ Champagne & Haydel 1993, p. 46.
- ^ a b Fleer 1994, p. 109.
- ^ a b Grimsley 2003, pp. 89–90.
- ^ a b Grimsley 2003, p. 91.
- ^ Grimsley 2003, p. 90.
- ^ Eamon 2014, p. 160.
- ^ Grimsley 2003, p. 97.
- ^ a b Eamon 2014, p. 163.
- ^ Bass 1995, p. 227.
- ^ a b Eamon 2014, p. 145.
- ^ a b Link 2008, p. 149.
- ^ Eamon 2014, pp. 158–159.
- ^ Eamon 2014, p. 354.
- ^ Landis 1990, p. 135.
- ^ Covington & Ellis 2002, pp. 406–407.
- ^ Link 2008, pp. 149–150.
- ^ Eamon 2014, pp. 162–163.
- ^ Champagne & Haydel 1993, pp. 26, 46.
- ^ a b Eamon 2014, p. 164.
- ^ Eamon 2014, pp. 164–165.
- ^ Link 2008, p. 158.
- ^ Stewart, Elizabeth (January 13, 1977). "Inauguration a Chilling Experience". King's Mountain Mirror-Herald. Vol. 88, no. 4. p. 2B.
- ^ Fleer 1994, p. 57.
- ^ UNC-TV. Archived from the originalon January 18, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ Hood 2015, p. 303.
- ^ Champagne & Haydel 1993, p. 28.
- ^ "Ex-NC Gov. Jim Holshouser dies at 78". Salisbury Post. June 18, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ Luebke 2000, p. 229.
- ^ Rockett, Ali (June 22, 2013). "Former Gov. James E. Holshouser is remembered as a caring man who 'gave politicians a good name.'". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ Burns, Matthew (June 21, 2013). "Holshouser's integrity, service praised at funeral". WRAL-TV. Capitol Broadcasting Company. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ "Dedication Ceremony Set For US-321 in Boone Highway To Be Named For Governor Holshouser". West Craven Highlights. May 15, 1986. p. 5.
- ProQuest 459714951
- ^ "Sec. Kluttz's Thoughts on James Holshouser". North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. June 18, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
- ^ Campbell 2017, p. 386.
- ^ Covington & Ellis 2002, p. 404.
Works cited
- Bass, Jack (1995). The Transformation of Southern Politics: Social Change and Political Consequence Since 1945 (reprint ed.). University of Georgia Press. ISBN 9780820317281.
- Bernick, E. Lee; Wiggins, Charles W. (1984). "The Governor's Executive Order: An Unknown Power". State & Local Government Review. 16 (1): 3–10. JSTOR 4354799.
- Campbell, Karl E. (2017). "The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Plutocracy". New Voyages to Carolina: Reinterpreting North Carolina History. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9781469634609.
- Champagne, Anthony; Haydel, Judith (1993). Judicial Reform in the States. University Press of America. ISBN 9780819189233.
- Cheney, John L. Jr., ed. (1973). North Carolina Manual. Raleigh: North Carolina Secretary of State. OCLC 892811255.
- Christensen, Rob (2010). The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics : The Personalities, Elections, and Events That Shaped Modern North Carolina (second ed.). Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-7151-5.
- Christensen, Rob (2019). The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys: North Carolina's Scott Family and the Era of Progressive Politics. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9781469651057.
- Covington, Howard E.; Ellis, Marion A., eds. (2002). The North Carolina Century: Tar Heels who Made a Difference, 1900–2000. Levine Museum of the New South. ISBN 9780807827574.
- Dennis, Stephen N. (1975). "Recent changes in the appropriations process". Popular Government. Vol. 40, no. 4. Institute of Government. pp. 11–17.
- Eamon, Tom (2014).
- Fergus, Devin (2009). Liberalism, Black Power, and the Making of American Politics, 1965-1980. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 9780820333236.
- Fleer, Jack (2007). Governors Speak. University Press of America. ISBN 9780761835646.
- Fleer, Jack D. (1994). North Carolina Government & Politics. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803268852.
- Grimsley, Wayne (2003). James B. Hunt: A North Carolina Progressive. McFarland. ISBN 9780786416073.
- Haemmel, William G. (April 1979). "The Ombudsman, or Citizens' Defender - The North Carolina Experience" (PDF). North Carolina Central Law Review. 10 (2): 227–247.
- Hood, John (2015). Catalyst: Jim Martin and the Rise of North Carolina Republicans. Winston-Salem: John F. Blair, Publisher. ISBN 9780895876577.
- Landis, Alexander P. (1990). The Two-party South (second ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195065794.
- Link, William A. (2008). Righteous Warrior: Jesse Helms and the Rise of Modern Conservatism. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 9780312356002.
- Lowery, Malinda Maynor (2018). The Lumbee Indians: An American Struggle. Chapel Hill: UNC Press Books. ISBN 978-1-4696-4638-1.
- Luebke, Paul (2000). Tar Heel Politics 2000 (revised ed.). The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807889329.
External links
- Oral History Interviews with James E. Holshouser Jr. [1], [2], [3], [4] from Oral Histories of the American South, Documenting the American South, University of North Carolina