James E. Long

James E. Long
9th North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance
In office
January 5, 1985 – January 10, 2009
Governor Jim Hunt
James G. Martin
Mike Easley
Preceded by John Ingram
Succeeded by Wayne Goodwin
Personal details
Born Template:1940
Burlington, North Carolina
Died February 9, 2009(2009-02-09) (aged 68)
Raleigh, North Carolina
Resting place Pine Hill City Cemetery
Burlington, North Carolina
Nationality American
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Mary Margaret "Peg" O'Connell
Children 2
Alma mater North Carolina State University
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Profession Politician

James Eugene "Jim" Long (March 19, 1940 – February 2, 2009) was the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance from 1985 through 2009 retiring as the senior Democratic member of the North Carolina Council of State. He was the third-longest-serving statewide elected official in North Carolina history as of 2009.

Political career

Born in Alamance County to a political family Long served in the North Carolina House of Representatives (1971–1975) as had his father and grandfather. He also worked as legal counsel to the state house speaker and as Chief Deputy Commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Insurance from 1975-76. Commissioner John R. Ingram fired Long as his deputy in 1976 and Long ran unsuccessfully against his former boss in 1980.[1]

Long became the state's insurance commissioner in January 1985 having been elected in November 1984. He won a sixth term in the 2004 statewide elections. In 2008 he chose not to run for a seventh term.[2] Long endorsed Wayne Goodwin to succeed him as Commissioner of Insurance.[3]

Personal life

Long was married to Peg O'Connell and had two children -Dr.Rebecca Long & James Long, and five grandchildren -Steven Long, Morgan Long, Matthew McNeal, Hannah Englehart and Kristin Mcneal Vatcher. In 2009, less than one month after leaving office as Insurance Commissioner, Long suffered a hemorrhagic stroke leaving him in a coma.[4] He died at Rex Hospital in Raleigh on February 2, aged 68.[5]

References

  1. ↑ News & Observer: Old-school politician Long fought for consumers
  2. ↑ Long not running for re-election | newsobserver.com projects Archived 2008-10-24 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ newsobserver.com | Clinton camp makes no mention of N.C
  4. ↑ Wife: Former NC insurance commissioner in coma Archived 2012-09-07 at Archive.is
  5. ↑ James E. Long Obituary


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