Jim Hunt

Former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt, the state’s longest-serving governor and a nationally influential Democrat known for his education reforms, died Thursday at age 88, his daughter Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt announced. Hunt served a total of 16 years as governor between 1977–1985 and 1993–2001, launched the Smart Start early-childhood program, pushed teacher salaries above the national median, expanded full-day kindergarten, and helped establish both the NC Biotechnology Center and the nation’s first public residential high school focused on science and math, drawing tributes from current and former governors of both parties.