Jim Hunt: A Biography

by Gary Pearce

As one of Jim Hunts closest political advisors, Gary Pearce was in a unique position to observe the career of North Carolinas longest-serving governor. In this authorized biography, Pearce draws from his own observations and experience as well as over 30 interviews with Governor Hunt and more than 50 interviews with friends, family, staffers, political allies, and opponents

Genres: Politics, Biography

316 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

After writing for the Raleigh News & Observer about Governor Hunts 1972 race for lieutenant governor and his four years in that office, Gary Pearce went to work for Hunt during his first race for governor. He has worked as Hunts press secretary, chief speechwriter, and political and policy adviser. He helped direct Hunts campaign against Jesse Helms in 1984 and became his chief political adviser through the 1992 and 1996 elections and Hunts third and fourth terms as governor. He lives in Raleigh, NC."

Reviews

[Sage Gaska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Hunt, the longest-serving governor of North Carolina, passed away last month at the age of 88. This biography, written by Gary Pearce, is a wonderful and informative look on his life as the most influential N.C. governor of the 20th century. Pearce worked worked for Hunt for more than twenty years from the mid 1970s to the mid 1990s, serving on numerous campaigns and in both his administrations. He admits that he is "not an unbaised observer of Hunt" on the first page of the book. He clearly admires Hunt, but does not allow this to cloud his writing. A book only focusing on the successes would have been less interesting and less informative. Such failures as the mistakes his campaign made in the 1984 race for U.S. senate, one that Hunt lost to Jesse Helms, make for fascinating chapters. It is said that if Hunt had won that race, he very well may have been president instead of Bill Clinton.

However, the great successes Hunt had in his four years as lieutenant governor and sixteen years as governor outweigh that race. As governor, Hunt reshaped the office, pushing amendments to the state constitution to allow for N.C.'s governors to run for more than one term and veto bills. He supported programs that improved infrastructure across the state. Hunt saw that the traditional Carolina industries of textiles, tobacco, and furniture manufacturing were in decline, and moved to attract new investment in this state from across America and around the world. He established an office to do just that and made numerous foreign trips. His largest priority, though, was education. Hunt raised teacher pay, increased the number of school support staff, established new programs to help kids learn to read, established the Smart Start pre-K program, raised education standards and devised new ways to evalute them, helped to create the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, and gave a huge amount to land to N.C. State (his alma mater) to establish the Centennial Campus.

Pearce's closeness to Hunt makes this biography feel very personal. Occasionally, he'll switch to a first-person style and describe a late meeting he had with Hunt and the team to figure out how to get a bill passed or what strategies to use to hit back against Jesse Helms. While there were certain events where I hoped for more elaboration or insight, Pearce's biography of Jim Hunt is a great read for anyone with an interest in N.C. politics or one of the greatest governors of the 20th century "new south" era in southern history.

In one of the final chapters of this book, Pearce quotes James Carville: "There are two kinds of politicians: Those who want to be something–and those who want to do something."

Most politicians are a mix of the two, but Hunt was most certainly in the latter camp. In our current era dominated by social media and cable news hits, that breed of politician seems incredibly rare. Hunt's story is refreshing–because he was a man who entered politics to do something. And he did just that.

[Dana Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearce, with his insider perspective, focuses on Hunt's various campaigns and terms in office. As the "Education Governor" Hunt transformed North Carolina over his four terms as Governor. The author offers a very readable accounting of the many projects that the energetic politician undertook to shape the lives of North Carolinians for the better. I believe any North Carolinian would benefit by reading this biography.

[Andrew Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, quick read. For my purposes, the bio was a helpful insight into NC policy/politics during my youth, before love of home-state history kicked in more heavily. This is a quick read because it is a combination of bio and memoir from Gary Pearce's perspective as a media aid to Hunt.

[Chuck McGrady · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Gary Pearce is no objective observer of Jim Hunt and his administrations, he does a good job at chronicling Hunt's public policy initiatives. With the passage of time, I agree with him that Hunt's hands-on style looks better and better as new administrations have come and gone.

[Mrlunch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about North Carolina's best and longest serving Governor. The chapters dealing with the failed Senate run against Jesse Helms in 1984 were fascinating.