The state of North Carolina mourned the loss of former governor Jim Hunt, who died Thursday at the age of 88. His daughter, Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt, announced the death from her Wilson County home.
Early Life and Rise in Politics
James Baxter Hunt Jr. was born on May 16, 1937, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He grew up on the family’s tobacco and dairy farm in Wilson County. After graduating from law school, Hunt, his wife Carolyn, and their young children spent two years in Nepal working for the Ford Foundation.
Hunt’s political career accelerated quickly. He served as president of the state’s Young Democrats in 1968 and was elected lieutenant governor in 1972. In 1976, he won the gubernatorial election and, following a constitutional change, became the first North Carolina governor elected to successive four-year terms.
A 16-Year Tenure Focused on Education
During his 16 years in office, Hunt earned a reputation as a “business-oriented progressive” and a key figure in the national education reform movement. He helped make North Carolina the first state to offer full-day kindergarten while serving as lieutenant governor. In the 1980s, he helped create the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and pushed for nationwide standardized testing to enable states to compare themselves.
As governor in the 1990s, Hunt championed the Smart Start early-childhood initiative, a national model for preparing children for school, and worked to raise teacher pay. After leaving office in 2001, he continued to influence education policy through the Hunt Institute, which trains emerging political leaders across the country.
Senate Campaign, Return, and Later Political Activity
In 1984, Hunt lost a U.S. Senate race to Republican Jesse Helms. The campaign, marked by Helms’ aggressive ads portraying Hunt as a flip-flopper, ended Hunt’s first run for the Senate. He returned to practicing law but stayed active in public life.
Hunt made a political comeback in the early 1990s, securing a third gubernatorial term in 1992 and a fourth in 1996. His leadership helped slow the growing Republican tide in North Carolina politics. In the mid-1990s, he called a special legislative session to address tough-on-crime measures and proposed tax cuts larger than those initially offered by Republicans.
Even after leaving office, Hunt remained a prominent Democratic voice. He campaigned for President Barack Obama in 2012 and for Hillary Rodham Clinton and former governor Roy Cooper in 2016. In 2024, he witnessed his daughter Rachel Hunt serve as lieutenant governor and preside over the Senate, echoing his own legacy 52 years later.
Tributes and Legacy
“I can think of no one who shaped North Carolina’s recent successes as much as Governor Jim Hunt,” said current Democratic governor Josh Stein on Thursday. Former governor Roy Cooper called Hunt the “greatest Governor in North Carolina history.”
Hunt’s dedication to public schools earned him praise from educators and politicians alike. In a 2009 interview, former Georgia governor Roy Barnes said, “If there is one person that is responsible for remaking and reforming education in the nation, particularly in the Southeast and starting with North Carolina, it is Jim Hunt.”
During a May 2017 interview, Hunt expressed continued commitment to education: “I’m proud of what we’ve done together. But I’m far from satisfied about where we are and determined to keep doing my little bit, I guess, to help us keep changing things and improving things in North Carolina. And I know you do it mainly through education.”
Gary Pearce, a longtime Hunt staffer and later biographer, described his campaigning style: “He really had a way of pushing you to do things you never thought you could do. He made you feel like you were genuinely making the world a better place.”
Personal Reflections
Hunt’s political life was intertwined with his personal convictions. In his first term as governor, he commuted the sentences of nine Black men and one white woman convicted in the 1971 Wilmington firebombing of a grocery store. Full pardons for the “Wilmington 10” were not granted until 2012.
His daughter, Rachel Hunt, served in the state legislature before being elected lieutenant governor in 2024. In early 2025, she took the Senate gavel as president, following in her father’s footsteps.
Memorial Plans
Details for a memorial service honoring Jim Hunt will be announced at a later date.
Key Takeaways
- Jim Hunt served 16 years as governor, pioneering education reforms like full-day kindergarten and Smart Start.
- He lost a Senate race in 1984 but returned to win two more gubernatorial terms in the 1990s.
- Tributes from Josh Stein, Roy Cooper, and others highlight his lasting impact on North Carolina’s public schools.
The state will remember a leader who blended business acumen with a steadfast commitment to public service, leaving a legacy that reshaped North Carolina’s education system and political landscape.
