Jim Hunt was the farm boy from Wilson County who found himself completing four terms as the longest-serving governor of this state.
He made a difference, particularly in championing education, and Jim Hunt never stopped believing in what North Carolina could be.
“I can think of no one who shaped North Carolina’s recent successes as much as Governor Jim Hunt,” Gov. Josh Stein said in a news release Thursday after learning that the former governor, who served from 1977–1985 and 1993–2001, died at his Lucama home. “Governor for 16 years, he was a visionary who founded Smart Start, raised teacher pay, protected air quality, and created the NC Biotech Center. On a personal level, he was a mentor and dear friend.”
Former state governors remembered him, too.
“I’ve known Governor Hunt for decades and North Carolinians have lost an icon,” Roy Cooper, who served from 2017-2025, told WRAL TV. “Governor Hunt was the greatest governor in the history of North Carolina.”
Former Gov. Mike Easley told WRAL-TV that Gov. Hunt had a way of connecting with people.
No matter who you were, Jim Hunt looked you in the eye.
He shook your hand firmly.
Jim Hunt listened to what you had to say, and his eyes never wandered. Jim Hunt could make you feel as if you were the only person in the room.
June 21, 2013
“Well, hello, Bill,” he said on the summer afternoon of June 21, 2013, as he and his wife, Carolyn, were leaving Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines, where Jim Hunt joined with then-Gov. Pat McCrory and former Gov. Bev Purdue for Gov. Jim Holshouser Jr.’s memorial service. “How are things at The Fayetteville Observer?”
He was like that … everybody mattered.
He remembered the Republican governor as a kind, caring, and a governor of good leadership during Holshouser’s tenure from 1973–1977.
When Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia was campaigning as vice presidential running mate for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on August 16, 2016, at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, those in attendance erupted in applause when learning Jim Hunt would be there. Kaine became something of a political footnote. It was the former governor who brought those in attendance to their feet.
There was just something about Jim Hunt.
‘His Legacy Will Be Everlasting’
U.S. and the state flags fly at half-mast today at the Governor’s Mansion at 200 N. Blount St. in Raleigh, at the North Carolina General Assembly legislative building at 16 W. Jones St., and throughout the state.
James Baxter Hunt Jr. died December 18 near the Rock Ridge community, where he grew up as a boy.
He was 88.
The late governor’s death is being felt across the state, including in Cumberland County.
Longtime politico George Breece says Jim Hunt is a governor to remember.
“Jim Hunt was in a league by himself when it came to being a public servant,” Breece said. “His leadership and vision will live on in education for generations to come. Simply put, he was the best, and his legacy will be everlasting. God Bless his memory, and may the good Lord wrap his loving arms around Carolyn, Rachel, and all the Hunt family.”
Billy Richardson remembers lunches with Gov. Hunt when serving in the N.C House from 1992–1996, and later from 2014–2022.
“He would say, ‘I can’t stay long, I only have 20 minutes,’ and we would stay 2 1/2 hours,” Richardson said. “I cherish every second I spent with him. Just to spend that much time with a statesman.”
Jim Hunt, he said, included him as a part of the Smart Start initiative.
“My first term, he blessed me with being one of his lieutenants with Smart Start,” he said. “It meant the world to me to be a part of it. He developed personal relationships to be able to work with the General Assembly. Gov. Terry Sanford (1961–1965) and Gov. Hunt were the best governors in the state, and Gov. Sanford and Gov. Hunt had a profound impact on my life.
“I loved the man, and I am mourning,” Richardson said about Jim Hunt. “Gov. Hunt was one of the finest men I ever knew. He was a rare man who put people, not himself, first.”
Kirk deViere says the former governor was someone he turned to in shaping his political career.
“Gov. Hunt was a personal mentor and someone I leaned on many times for advice,” said deViere, who is chairman of the Cumberland Board of County Commissioners and served two terms in the N.C. Senate. “After I won the state Senate seat in 2018, he sent me a handwritten letter that I still have today. He was a leader who took the time to build relationships and championed making North Carolina a better place for future generations.
“I spoke with my friend Rachel, our lieutenant governor, Thursday. My heart goes out to her and the entire Hunt family during this difficult time.”
“North Carolinians lost a giant,” deViere said. “We lost the original statesman.”
Longtime Jim Hunt supporter Wendell Murphy was a former classmate when he and Jim Hunt were students at North Carolina State University.
“He was a natural born leader, I can tell you that,” said Murphy, who was elected to the N.C. House in 1983 and later to the N.C. Senate until 1992. “He was the first two-term president of the Student [Government] Association at N.C. State. He was phenomenal. He could get more done than anybody I knew of. He could get things done consistently.”
“He was gracious all the time.”
“I cannot say enough good things about him,” said Murphy, who lives in Rose Hill. “He was never unprepared, and I was really sorry to hear about his passing. He was perhaps one of the greatest [governors] of all time, along with Kerr Scott.”
Education Governor
Even with his gubernatorial career behind him, Jim Hunt never stopped advocating for students, teachers, and education.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Hunt family, and especially Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, who is clearly proud of her father and his lifelong service to our state,” said N.C. Sen. Val Applewhite, who represents District 19 for Cumberland County. “In the moments I spent with Governor Jim Hunt, our conversations most often centered on public education—his true passion. He was kind and gentle, yet unwavering in his commitment to our schools and our children. Governor Hunt earned his legacy as the ‘Education Governor,’ and honoring that legacy means continuing the fight for strong public education and his memory and for future generations of North Carolinians.”
Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Eric Bracy echoed Applewhite’s sentiments about the late governor.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Gov. Jim Hunt, whose lifelong commitment to public education helped shape schools and communities across North Carolina, including here in Cumberland County,” Bracy said. “Gov. Hunt understood the power of education to change lives and made lasting investments to strengthen public schools and support educators. His leadership and vision leave an enduring legacy that will not be forgotten. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, loved ones and all who were touched by his life and service.”
Fayetteville Technical Community College President Mark Sorrells also remembered Gov. Hunt’s advocacy for education, including the N.C. Community College System.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Gov. James B. Hunt,” he said. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family. His legacy as the ‘Education Governor’ casts a long shadow that will continue to inspire generations to come.”
Epilogue
There just was something about Jim Hunt.
He was a leader who brought others into state government. He could make you believe in yourself and all you could be. When he came into a fundraising event, you knew he was there. He always brought with him a welcoming smile. He had much of that Hargrove “Skipper” Bowles personality. He had his critics, but Jim Hunt never wavered in wanting what was best for this state’s economic growth and education.
He had a presence.
Didn’t matter to Jim Hunt who you were or where you came from, you mattered, and your opinion mattered. His was a receptive ear for all.
And I always will recall that June 21, 2013, summer day underneath the towering southern pines when Jim Hunt took time, with such compassionate heart, to remember a fellow governor, and wanted to know how things were going down Fayetteville’s way.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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