R. Gregg Cherry

R. Gregg Cherry
A black and white photograph of a white man in a suit
R. Gregg Cherry, 1945
61st Governor of North Carolina
In office
January 4, 1945 – January 6, 1949
LieutenantLynton Y. Ballentine
Preceded byJ. Melville Broughton
Succeeded byW. Kerr Scott
Mayor of Gastonia, North Carolina
In office
1919–1923
Personal details
Born
Robert Gregg Cherry

(1891-10-17)October 17, 1891
York County, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedJune 25, 1957(1957-06-25) (aged 65)
Gastonia, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLula Mildred Stafford
Alma materDuke University

Robert Gregg Cherry (October 17, 1891 – June 25, 1957) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 61st governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1945 to 1949.

Biography

Born in York County, South Carolina near Rock Hill, Cherry grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina with relatives after the death of his parents. He earned bachelor's and law degrees at Trinity College (now Duke University).[1] He organized and led a volunteer artillery company during World War I.

In 1921, he married Lula Mildred Stafford, the daughter of the Mayor of Greensboro Emory Junius Stafford.[2]

Cherry served as mayor of Gastonia from 1919 to 1923,[3] as a member and speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, as chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party (1937–1940), and as a member of the North Carolina Senate. In Gastonia, it was joked that he was the best lawyer in town when sober, and the second-best lawyer in town when drunk.[4]

In 1944, Cherry was elected governor as the last in a series of governors affiliated with the political machine of former governor O. Max Gardner.[5] He was sworn in on January 4, 1945.[6] Cherry inherited an economy facing material and labor shortages as a result of the ongoing Second World War. One of his primary focuses during his term was the improvement of mental health care at state-run facilities. Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina, is named for him.

Unlike most other Southern Democratic governors, Cherry supported Harry S. Truman for re-election in 1948.[citation needed] He was succeeded by W. Kerr Scott on January 6, 1949.[6] He retired from politics and returned to the practice of law.

References

  1. ^ "North Carolina manual [serial]". 1916.
  2. ^ Ham, Marie Sharpe; Blake, Debra A.; Morris, C. Edwards (2000). North Carolina's First Ladies 1891-2001, Who Have Resided in the Executive Mansion At 200 North Blount Street. Raleigh, North Carolina: The North Carolina Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee and the North Carolina Executive Mansion Fund, Inc. pp. 51–52. ISBN 0-86526-294-2.
  3. ^ "Robert Gregg Cherry". January 5, 2013.
  4. ^ Tar Heel Laughter By Richard Walser
  5. ^ Christensen, Rob. The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics. 2008. UNC Press.
  6. ^ a b Cheney 1981, p. 423.

Works cited

  • Cheney, John L. Jr., ed. (1981). North Carolina Government, 1585-1979 : A Narrative and Statistical History (revised ed.). Raleigh: North Carolina Secretary of State. OCLC 1290270510.
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North Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by
Clarence Patrick Armstrong
Carl Grady Carpenter
 Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from Gaston County
1931–1941
Served alongside: John Froneberger Puett, Pinckney Carroll Froneberger, Noah Benjamin Kendrick, David P. Dellinger, Carl Augustus Rudisill 		Succeeded by
Basil Lee Whitener
North Carolina Senate
Preceded by
Joseph Henry Separk
 Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 26th district
1941–1945 		Succeeded by
Stephen Bland Dolley
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of North Carolina
1944 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Robert Johnson
 Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
1937 		Succeeded by
D. L. Ward
Preceded by Governor of North Carolina
1945–1949 		Succeeded by


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