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Janice H. Faulkner
Janice H. Faulkner
22nd Secretary of State of North Carolina
	In office; April 1996 – January 1997
Preceded by	Rufus Edmisten
Succeeded by	Elaine Marshall
Personal details
Born	January 8, 1932; Jamesville, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	October 8, 2019 (aged 87); Greenville, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	East Carolina University

Janice Hardison Faulkner (January 8, 1932 – October 8, 2019) was an American university professor and politician who served as North Carolina Secretary of State from April 1996 to January 1997. She was the first woman to serve on the North Carolina Council of State.

Early life

Janice Hardison was born on January 8, 1932^[1] in Jamesville, North Carolina, United States. She graduated from her high school as valedictorian and subsequently enrolled at East Carolina College. While there she edited the student newspaper, Tech Echo. She graduated in 1953 with a bachelor of science in English and subsequently worked as a school teacher while attending graduate school before earning her masters in English in 1956.^[2] She married Walter Faulkner but later divorced him.^[3]

Career

Academia

Faulkner became a member of the English faculty at East Carolina College (later East Carolina University) in 1957. In this capacity she taught English classes, she served as a director of alumni affairs, chaired the board of the ECU Credit Union, directed the Regional Development Institute, and served as associate vice chancellor for regional development. She published two English textbooks and articles on folklore, history, historic preservation, and economic development.^[2] She worked at the university until 1993.^[3]

Politics

Faulkner attributed her interest in politics to events in her childhood, particularly her father's friendship with politician Herbert Covington Bonner.^[3] She worked for Terry Sanford's gubernatorial campaign in 1960^[4] and in 1971 she arranged for U.S. Senator George McGovern to visit East Carolina University. In 1981, Faulkner was made executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, becoming the first woman to hold the position.^[2] She took a leave of absence from the university to work in the office.^[3]

In 1993 North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt appointed Faulkner as North Carolina Secretary of Revenue.^[3] She and his other cabinet appointees were sworn in on January 11.^[5] While there she oversaw the introduction of a computer system intended to increase tax revenue,^[6] and North Carolina subsequently became the state with the largest portion of tax returns filed electronically.^[7] Three years later North Carolina Secretary of State Rufus L. Edmisten resigned from office,^[8] and in April 1996 Hunt appointed Faulkner to fill in the vacancy.^[3] In this capacity she was the first woman to serve on the North Carolina Council of State.^[8] She held the office until January 1997^[3] when she was succeeded by Elaine Marshall.^[6]

On January 22, 1997, Hunt appointed Faulkner to serve as Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).^[9] A week after taking office she implemented a new policy with standardized penalties regarding inspection stations' failure to conduct accurate emissions tests and ordered the DMV Enforcement Section to conduct undercover investigations to ensure such tests were being conducted properly.^[10] In 1998 she rejected a request by the Sons of Confederate Veterans to authorize the creation of a license plate featuring its logo, including a Confederate battle flag. Faulkner argued that the group was not a civic organization—and thus entitled to the request—as defined by law because its membership was limited to male descendants of Confederate soldiers. A court later reversed the decision.^[11] Faulkner successfully lobbied the North Carolina General Assembly to raise the wages for 400 DMV employees. As a sign of appreciation, several of her subordinates proposed purchasing her a gift. Faulkner deemed this unethical, but agreed to have DMV officials solicit voluntary donations from DMV employees to charity in her name, including donations to her church. Secretary of Transportation Norris Tolson ordered the money to be returned to the employees and requested the North Carolina Board of Ethics to investigate the scheme's propriety.^[12] The board concluded that no laws or executive orders were violated but voted to send her a "letter of caution".^[13] She retired in 2001.^[2]

Later life

In the last two years of her life, Faulkner suffered from health problems. She died on October 8, 2019, at a retirement community in Greenville, North Carolina, at the age of 87.^[8]^[14]

References

^ "Janice Hardison Faulkner". Biggs Funeral Home. 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Tucker, John A. (March 21, 2018). "Janice Hardison Faulkner". East Carolina University. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Waggoner, Martha (May 30, 1997). "A Fix For Everything? She's in a State of Repair". News & Record. Associated Press. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
^ Wise, Jim (October 15, 2000). "Graham leaves mark on State Fair". The Herald-Sun (Durham ed.). pp. A1, A14 – A15.
^ Patterson, Dennis (January 12, 1993). "Hunt pledges 'deep' change as some of cabinet is sworn in". The Charlotte Observer. Associated Press. p. 12C.
^ ^a ^b "Faulkner is feted at Capitol". The News & Observer. January 10, 1997. p. A3.
^ "Hunt Names Interim Secretary of State". The Daily Tar Heel. Associated Press. March 22, 1996. p. 7.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Former North Carolina Secretary of State Faulkner dies at 87". North State Journal. Associated Press. October 16, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
^ Krueger, Bill; Stith, Pat (January 23, 1997). "Janice Faulkner gets another challenge: Straighten out DMV mess". The News & Observer. p. A1.
^ Krueger, Bill; Smith, Pat (February 6, 1997). "Stations now face tough enforcement". The News & Observer. p. 16A.
^ Patterson, Dennis (December 30, 1998). "No Attorney's Fees Awarded: Appeals court OKs Confederate plates". Morning Star. p. 3B.
^ "DMV Leader's Church Would Have Benefited; Citing ethics, DOT chief orders gifts returned". Morning Star. February 24, 1999. p. 3B.
^ Wagner, John (June 3, 1999). "Board cautions DMV commissioner over donations". The News & Observer. p. 3A.
^ "Janice H. Faulkner". The News & Observer. October 11, 2019.