Luther Hartwell Hodges, Sr. (March 9, 1898 October 6, 1974) was an American politician, who served as the 64th Governor

Governor of North Carolina

The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...

 of the state of North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 from 1954 to 1961 and as United States Secretary of Commerce

United States Secretary of Commerce

The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...

 from 1961 to 1965.

Biography

Hodges was born in Cascade

Cascade, Virginia

Cascade is an unincorporated community in Pittsylvania County, in the U.S. state of Virginia.-Reference:...

, Pittsylvania County, Virginia

Pittsylvania County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 61,745 people, 24,684 households, and 18,216 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile . There were 28,011 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...

, on March 9, 1898, and moved with his family to Spray (which later merged with two other towns to become Eden, NC) when he was two years old, living much of his life there in Rockingham County, North Carolina

Rockingham County, North Carolina

Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 93,643. Its county seat is Wentworth.- History :The county was formed in 1785 from Guilford County...

. Hodges left for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

 at age 17, and moved back to Eden after college. He then went to work at Carolina Cotton and Woolen Mills in Leaksville, which was later purchased by Marshall Field

Marshall Field

Marshall Field was founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores.-Life and career:...

. He remained with the company, working his way up from mill-work to executive positions, until he retired to enter politics. In 1923, he helped form the Leaksville Rotary Club, which later became known as the Eden Rotary. In the 1940s, he was appointed to the state Board of Education

North Carolina State Board of Education

The North Carolina State Board of Education, established by Article 9 of the North Carolina Constitution, supervises and administers the public school systems of North Carolina...

 and the Highway and Public Works Commission. In 1945, he served as a consultant to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and to the U.S. Army in occupied Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

Hodges was elected the state's lieutenant governor

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

The Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina is the second highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government...

 in 1952 and succeeded to the position of governor in November 1954 upon the death of Governor William B. Umstead

William B. Umstead

William Bradley Umstead was an American Senator and the 63rd Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1953 to 1954.-Biography:Umstead was born in the northern Durham County town of Bahama in 1895...

. Two years later, he was elected on his own to a four-year term as governor. Because North Carolina had a one-term limit for governors at that time, Hodges had the longest continuous tenure in the office until the state constitution was changed and Jim Hunt

Jim Hunt

James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician who was the 69th and 71st Governor of the state of North Carolina . He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history.-Early life:...

 was elected to a second term in 1980 . During his time in office, Governor Hodges promoted industrialization and education, while attempting to limit racial tension. Research Triangle Park

Research Triangle Park

The Research Triangle Park is a research park in the United States. It is located near Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina...

 was established while he was governor. When he left his Washington post in 1965, he returned to Chapel Hill and was chairman of Research Triangle Park. In 1967, he served a one-year term as president of Rotary International

Rotary International

Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...

, the only North Carolinian ever to hold the title.

He died in Oct. 6, 1974, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...

, and is buried in the Overlook Cemetery at Eden, North Carolina

Eden, North Carolina

Eden is a city in Rockingham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,908 at the 2000 census. The city was incorporated in 1967 through the consolidation of three separate towns: Leaksville, Spray, and Draper....

. There is a monument in his honor near a water fountain in Eden's Freedom Park.

Legacy

Hodges's son, Luther H. Hodges, Jr.

Luther H. Hodges, Jr.

Luther Hartwell Hodges Jr. is a retired American Democratic politician and banker. He was the first United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce , appointed under Jimmy Carter. Previously Under Secretary of Commerce, he had been tipped to replace Juanita M...

, was a prominent banking executive and United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce

United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce

The Deputy Secretary of Commerce is a high ranking position within the United States Department of Commerce. It was createdon December 13, 1979 when President Jimmy Carter sent a letter to the U.S. Senate and nominated Luther H. Hodges, Jr., who then currently held the title of Under Secretary of...

.