Hunt, James Baxter, Jr., 1937-

James Baxter Hunt, Jr. (1937- ) was Democratic governor of North Carolina, 1977-1985 and 1993-2001. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural education and a Master’s degree in agricultural economics from North Carolina State University, where he served two terms as student body president, as well as a Juris Doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After serving as Lieutenant Governor from 1973 to 1977, he served two terms as Governor, 1977-1981 and 1981-1985. In 1984 he waged an unsuccessful campaign to unseat Republican Jesse Helms as United States Senator from North Carolina. The closely contested race, which Helms eventually won with 52% of the vote, garnered national attention as both sides engaged in negative campaigning, some of which centered on Hunt’s support for (and Helm’s opposition to) the recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The campaign ultimately cost a combined $22 million, making it the most expensive Senate race in American history to that point. Hunt returned to elected office in 1992, winning a third term as Governor by defeating Republican Lieutenant Governor James C. Gardner. In 1996 he was elected to a fourth term over Republican state Representative Robin Hayes. Hunt left office in 2001.

After he left the governorship, Hunt joined the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC, in Raleigh. As of 2006, he and his wife, Carolyn, lived on their beef cattle farm in eastern North Carolina. They had four children and ten grandchildren.