R. Gregg Cherry

Robert Gregg Cherry (October 17, 1891 – June 25, 1957) was the 61st Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1945 to 1949.

R. Gregg Cherry
61st Governor of North Carolina
In office
January 4, 1945 – January 6, 1949
LieutenantLynton Y. Ballentine
Preceded byJ. Melville Broughton
Succeeded byW. Kerr Scott
Personal details
Born
Robert Gregg Cherry

(1891-10-17)October 17, 1891
York County, South Carolina
DiedJune 25, 1957(1957-06-25) (aged 65)
Gastonia, North Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materDuke University

Biography

Born in York County, South Carolina near Rock Hill, Cherry grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina with relatives after the death of his parents. He earned bachelor's and law degrees at Trinity College (now Duke University).[1] He organized and led a volunteer artillery company during World War I.

Cherry served as mayor of Gastonia, as a member and speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, as chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party (1937–1940), and as a member of the North Carolina Senate. In Gastonia, it was joked that he was the best lawyer in town when sober, and the second-best lawyer in town when drunk.[2]

In 1944, Cherry was elected governor as the last in a series of governors affiliated with the political machine of former Gov. O. Max Gardner.[3] Gov. Cherry inherited an economy facing material and labor shortages as a result of the ongoing Second World War. One of his primary focuses during his term was the improvement of mental health care at state-run facilities. Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina, is named for him.

Unlike most other Southern Democratic governors, Cherry supported Harry S. Truman for re-election in 1948. Cherry retired from politics and returned to the practice of law after his one term as governor (the maximum then allowed by the state constitution).

References
  1. https://archive.org/details/northcarolinaman1947nort/page/346/mode/2up
  2. Tar Heel Laughter By Richard Walser
  3. Christensen, Rob. The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics. 2008. UNC Press.
North Carolina House of Representatives
Preceded by
Clarence Patrick Armstrong
Carl Grady Carpenter		 Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from Gaston County
1931–1941
Served alongside: John Froneberger Puett, Pinckney Carroll Froneberger, Noah Benjamin Kendrick, David P. Dellinger, Carl Augustus Rudisill		 Succeeded by
Basil Lee Whitener
North Carolina Senate
Preceded by
Joseph Henry Separk		 Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 26th district
1941–1945		 Succeeded by
Stephen Bland Dolley
Party political offices
Preceded by
J. Melville Broughton		 Democratic nominee for Governor of North Carolina
1944		 Succeeded by
W. Kerr Scott
Political offices
Preceded by
Robert Johnson		 Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
1937		 Succeeded by
D. L. Ward
Preceded by
J. Melville Broughton		 Governor of North Carolina
1945–1949		 Succeeded by
W. Kerr Scott


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