|
North Carolina's Governors
In 1962 Holshouser was elected to the first of four terms in the state House. He chaired the state Republican Party from 1966 to 1972. In the 1972 Republican race for governor, he met James C. Gardner, who had been the nominee four years earlier, winning in a runoff. In the fall Holshouser defeated Democratic nominee Hargrove ("Skipper") Bowles. His victory was aided by Richard Nixon's 600,000-vote margin over George McGovern in North Carolina. Holshouser, at thirty-eight the youngest Chief Executive in the twentieth century, faced Democratic majorities in both houses of the legislature. As his first executive order, he established the Efficiency Study Commission. The board recommended 700 cost-saving changes, including five-year license plates, use of compact cars by agencies, and centralized printing. New initiatives included an ombudsman and "People's Days" to permit direct contact with the governor. The kindergarten program expanded to cover the entire state by 1977. Area Health Education Centers and Rural Health Centers received the governor's backing. Ten new state parks were established, more than doubling the acreage of state park land. Moves were taken to protect the New River, Jockeys Ridge, and the Cape Lookout National Seashore. The Coastal Area Management Act was enacted in 1974. Holshouser presided over events related to the nation's bicentennial in 1976. After his term, he split his time between law practices in Boone and Southern Pines. In 1978 he moved to the Moore County town and since 1979 has served on the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.
|
The first Republican elected governor of North Carolina in the twentieth century, James E. Holshouser, Jr. (1934- ) extended rural health care, expanded kindergarten and community college programs, acquired park lands, and instituted an efficiency study of state government. A native of Boone, Holshouser was an undergraduate at Davidson College and attended law school at the University of North Carolina where he developed his interest in politics.
