Jim Hunt, North Carolina education reform pioneer, dies at 88
Former North Carolina governor helped drive national education policy with initiatives such as full-day kindergarten and Smart Start; death announced by his daughter, Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt
Jim Hunt, four-term North Carolina governor and a central figure in education reform, died Thursday at his Wilson County home at age 88. His daughter, Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, announced the death and described him as a public servant who expanded opportunity and strengthened communities.
A business-oriented progressive, Hunt helped define the modern education governor. He first won election in 1976 and, after a constitutional change allowed consecutive four-year terms, became the first North Carolina chief executive elected to multiple four-year terms. He guided the state through years of economic transition and remained a dominant voice in state politics even after leaving office in 2001.
Hunt's national profile grew after an unsuccessful 1984 U.S. Senate bid against Republican icon Jesse Helms. He staged a comeback in the 1990s, winning a third term and then a fourth in 1996, continuing his push on education issues.
His policy record centered on elevating public schools as a cornerstone of economic strategy. In the 1970s, he worked with Republican Gov. Jim Holshouser to establish full-day kindergarten, making North Carolina a national early-childhood model. In the 1980s he helped launch the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and pressed for standardized testing to enable interstate comparison. In the 1990s he championed the Smart Start early-childhood initiative and higher teacher pay, arguing that well-funded schools were essential to competing in a global economy.
After leaving office, Hunt remained influential through The Hunt Institute, which trains policy leaders and advocates nationwide on education policy. He maintained an active role in Democratic politics, backing successors including Gov. Roy Cooper and U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, and he campaigned for President Barack Obama in 2012 and Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016.
His life also included moments of controversy. During his first term as governor, he commuted the sentences of nine Black men and one white woman convicted in the 1971 Wilmington riot and firebombing, a decision that would not be fully resolved until pardons were granted decades later in 2012. He later explained that he weighed the evidence and testimony when deciding the clemency action.
On the political stage, Hunt was known for pushing colleagues to fund big things for education even when budgets were tight. He remained a trusted adviser and mentor to a generation of lawmakers, and even in his 80s urged Republicans in the General Assembly to focus on education.
Current Democratic Gov. Josh Stein called Hunt's influence on state government immeasurable, while Roy Cooper offered praise for his impact on North Carolina politics. Thom Tillis, a former state House speaker and later U.S. senator, called Hunt one of the most consequential public servants in North Carolina’s history. Rachel Hunt, who followed her father into public office as lieutenant governor in 2024, said the family would share memorial details later.
Memorial information will be announced at a later date.