W. Britt Cobb, Jr. is a former

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

government official. His last position was as chief of staff for North Carolina Governor

Beverly Perdue Beverly Eaves Perdue (born Beverly Marlene Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party who served as the List of governors of North Carolina, 73rd Govern ...

until she left office in January 2013. Previously, he had served as her Secretary of Administration (a member of Governor's Cabinet). Cobb was also

Commissioner of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

for the state of

between June 2003 and February 2005. He was appointed to the post in June 2003 following the resignation of Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps and lost a hotly disputed race for the seat in 2004 to Republican

Steve Troxler Steve W. Troxler (born 1952) is an American farmer and Republican politician. He serves as the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for North Carolina. Because of a contested election due to lost ballots in the November 2004 statewi ...

Early life, education and career

Cobb was born in

Elm City, North Carolina Elm City is a town in Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,298 in 2010. History The Elm City Municipal Historic District, W. H. Langley House, and Webb-Barron-Wells House were listed on the National Register of His ...

, and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. Cobb began working for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture shortly after his graduation as a food-distribution representative, and was the first agriculture director at North Carolina's European Office in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

during the late 1970s. In 1991, Cobb was named assistant director of marketing for the Agriculture department, and he was appointed to the post of interim agriculture commissioner in June 2003 following the resignation of Meg Scott Phipps.

Agriculture Commissioner

Cobb's appointment by Governor

Mike Easley Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony. A member of ...

as North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture was made official in December 2003; that same month, he announced his candidacy for the post in the 2004 statewide general elections. Cobb faced

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and finished only about 2,000 votes behind his opponent; however, 4,000 lost votes in Carteret County led to an extended legal dispute, in which Cobb and his attorneys pressed for a new statewide election for the race. On February 4, 2005, Cobb conceded the race and Troxler was sworn in as Agriculture Commissioner on February 8.

Secretary of Administration

In 2005, Cobb became a Deputy Secretary in the North Carolina Department of Administration, and in January 2006, Governor Easley appointed him Secretary for the Department, succeeding Secretary Gwynn Swinson. In 2009, newly elected Governor

chose to keep Cobb in her cabinet.News & Observer: More Perdue Cabinet Appointees

References

North Carolina Commissioners of Agriculture Living people State cabinet secretaries of North Carolina North Carolina Democrats UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) People from Elm City, North Carolina {{agri-stub