In the second installment of Biographical Conversations with…Jim Holshouser , the legendary state politician reminisces on leading a growing state Republican Party, his inauguration as the first Republican governor in 72 years and fostering economic development during challenging times.

In 1972, after several terms in the legislature, Jim Holshouser announced his candidacy for Governor of North Carolina.

Holshouser financed his campaign with proceeds from mortgaging a hotel in Boone of which he was part owner. Holshouser asked his opponent Hargrove “Skipper” Bowles to agree on a campaign-spending limit, but Bowles declined. Bowles spent $875,000 to win the Democratic nomination; Holshouser spent only about $400,000 for the campaign. While campaigning for governor, Holshouser said he wanted to raise teachers’ salaries by 15 percent over the biennium, spend $600 million over a two-year period for reducing class size and expanding the kindergarten program. Endorsed by Political Action Committee for Education, N.C.A.E., N.C. Truck Drivers Association and Youth Legislative Assembly, he promised a bold new road program and new four-lane highways, was against forced busing and taxes on tobacco and gasoline and promised to build a first-class educational system. He also promised an all-out war on drugs.

In 1973, Holshouser won the governorship and was inaugurated as the first Republican governor since the turn of the century. As governor, he led improvements in economic development, established a system of rural health clinics, expanded the state public parks system, and was instrumental in restructuring the system of higher education in North Carolina.

As an advocate of free trade and following President Nixon’s groundbreaking meeting with Leonid Brezhnev in the Soviet Union, Governor Holshouser led a North Carolina trade mission to Moscow in September 1973. The stop in Moscow was part of a three-week tour with a 31-member trade commission to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

In 1975, Governor Holshouser faced serious economic challenges in North Carolina that were deeply affected by the national recession, a natural gas crisis, rising unemployment rates, and the political fallout of Watergate.

During his term, Governor Holshouser appointed the first woman to a high-ranking, cabinet-level position. Grace Rohrer was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Art, History and Culture. He was also honored in Washington, DC by the Senator Hugh Scott National Scholarship Foundation for his significant contributions to the field of human rights.

As governor, Holshouser was elected to the executive committee of the National Governors conference, and he was elected chairman of the Southern Regional Education Board, co-chairman of the Coastal Plains Regional Commission, and chairman of the Southern Growth Policies Board.

Part 2: Governor of North Carolina: Issues & Video