Ralph Campbell Jr.

Ralph Campbell Jr.
17th North Carolina State Auditor
In office
1993–2005
Preceded by Edward Renfrow
Succeeded by Les Merritt
Personal details
Born Ralph Campbell, Jr.
(1946-12-07)December 7, 1946
Raleigh, North Carolina
Died January 11, 2011(2011-01-11) (aged 64)
Nationality American
Political party Democratic
Alma mater St. Augustine's College

Ralph A. Campbell Jr. (December 7, 1946 – January 11, 2011) was a three-term State Auditor of North Carolina. A Democrat, Campbell was the first African-American to hold statewide elected executive office in North Carolina. His brother, Bill Campbell, is the former mayor of Atlanta.

Early life

Ralph Campbell Jr. was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to June Campbell and Ralph Campbell Sr. Both his parents were outspoken community activists. Ralph Campbell Sr. served as the president of the Wake County Chapter of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association during the 1960s.[1] Ralph Jr. grew up with two brothers, William (Bill), and Eddie, and one sister, Mildred. All of the children attended Wake County Public Schools.[2] Ralph's brother, William, was the first black student to attend an all-white public school in Raleigh. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell requested that all of their children integrate the schools, but only William was accepted at the time. Members of the board of education at the time said that the best way to do this experiment was to start with the youngest child they could. The Campbell family had to deal with harassment and threats from the local chapter of the KKK.

After graduating from J. W. Ligon High School, Ralph, Jr. attended St. Augustine's College, receiving a degree in business administration. He later took graduate-level business courses at North Carolina Central University.[3]

Military and Public Sector Career

He served in the United States Army Reserve from 1971 to 1977. From 1977-86, he worked as a field auditor for the North Carolina Department of Revenue, and from 1986-1990 as a plan auditor for the State Health Benefits Office. Campbell also worked in the administration of the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

Political career

Raleigh City Council

Campbell was first elected to the Raleigh City Council in 1985 and was re-elected three additional times, serving as mayor pro tempore in his final term (from 1989 to 1991).

State Auditor of North Carolina

Campbell decided not to run for a fifth term on the Raleigh City Council in 1991, instead choosing to run for State Auditor in 1992. When Ralph first told his family that he would run for statewide office, they were skeptical on what results would come of it. "When Ralph first told us he was going to run for statewide office, we were, like, 'Come on'" said Mildred Christmas, Campbell's younger sister. Ralph Campbell would go on to win that election by almost seven points, defeating his challenger, Vernon Abernathy, with a total of 53% of the vote. Ralph Campbell would spend the next 12 years in office, overseeing a staff that conducted about 3,600 audits, including some in the face of political pressure. He also brought more technology to the office.[4]

Ralph Campbell would be elected two more times with close margins. He won in 1996 by only 2.34%, defeating three challengers: Jack Daly (Republican), Robert J. Dorsey (Libertarian), and Theordore Janokowski (Natural Law).[5] He would win his third term in 2000 with only 30,000 more votes than his challenger, Leslie "Les" Merritt.[6] On November 2, 2004, Campbell lost his bid for a fourth term for State Auditor, losing by 0.87% to Leslie "Les" Merritt.[7]

Death

On January 11, 2011, Ralph Campbell Jr. died from lung cancer. His final words to his siblings were simple: "He looked up at us, and he said 'I love you' and he looked at all three of us," said his younger sister Mildred. Following his death, Ralph Campbell Jr. laid in rest in the State Capitol rotunda. Governor Beverly Perdue also ordered that all North Carolina flags at state facilities were to be flown at half-staff in his honor.[2]

"In 1963 my father took Mildred and Ralph to the march on Washington, where they both heard that great speech by Dr. King, "I Have a Dream," and thirty years later Ralph fulfilled that dream by being elected the State Auditor…" - William "Bill" Campbell, at Ralph Campbell Jr.'s funeral.[8]

'His entire life Ralph Campbell was a gift to the people of North Carolina." - Beverly Perdue [8]

References

  1. ↑ "2005 | Raleigh Hall Of Fame". www.raleighhalloffame.org. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  2. 1 2 WRAL (2011-01-13). "Family copes with Ralph Campbell's death :: WRAL.com". Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  3. ↑ NC Senate Resolution
  4. ↑ "Our Campaigns - NC Auditor Race - Nov 03, 1992". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  5. ↑ "Our Campaigns - NC Auditor Race - Nov 05, 1996". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  6. ↑ "Our Campaigns - NC Auditor Race - Nov 07, 2000". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  7. ↑ "Our Campaigns - NC Auditor Race - Nov 02, 2004". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
  8. 1 2 WRAL (2011-01-15). "Ex-auditor Campbell praised as 'gift' to NC :: WRAL.com". Retrieved 2016-09-18.
Political offices
Preceded by
Edward Renfrow		 North Carolina State Auditor
1993–2005		 Succeeded by
Les Merritt
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.