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Nora Cherie Killian Berry (born December 21, 1946) is an American politician who served as the
North Carolina Commissioner of Labor The Commissioner of Labor is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who leads the state's Department of Labor. North Carolina's general statues provide the commissioner with br ...
from 2001 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she was the first woman to hold the office.


Early life

Nora Cherie Killian was born in Newton,
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 ...
, United States on December 21, 1946, to Earl and Lena Carrigan Killian. Her father gave her the name Cherie after the French phrase "mon chérie" (English: my darling) which he had heard in France on his way home following his release as a prisoner-of-war of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Killian graduated from
Maiden High School Maiden High School is a public high school located in Maiden, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Catawba County Schools district. Overview Maiden High School was founded in 1953. In 2006, Maiden High moved from its former older bui ...
in 1965 and moved to Boone where she worked wrapping Christmas presents at a department store and selling advertisements for, writing for, and delivering newspapers. She attended
Lenoir Rhyne College Lenoir may refer to: Locations: * Lenoir, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States * Lenoir City, Tennessee In Universities: * Lenoir-Rhyne University * Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...
, ending her studies there in 1967. She also studied at
Gaston College Gaston College is a public community college in Dallas, North Carolina. Serving Gaston County and Lincoln County, Gaston College enrolls over 5,000 students each term in curriculum programs and about 16,000 students in continuing education pro ...
in 1969 and Oakland Community College in 1977. She married Norman H. Berry Jr. and took his last name. In 1985 Berry and her husband founded LGM Ltd., a company based in a former billiard hall that manufactured spark-plug wires for cars. After initial financial uncertainty, the venture became very profitable. Norman H. Berry Jr. died in 2006.


Political career


State House

Berry served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1993 to 2000, where she chaired the welfare reform committee and co-chaired the commerce committee.


State Labor Commissioner

In November 2000, she was elected state labor commissioner, the first woman to hold the post and the first Republican elected to the post. Berry was sworn in as North Carolina Commissioner of Labor on January 6, 2001. She was the only Republican on the
Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
between 2001 and 2005, and defeated
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
Wayne Goodwin George Wayne Goodwin (born February 22, 1967) is an American politician. He was elected North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance in the 2008 election and re-elected in 2012. He was narrowly defeated in his bid for a third term in 2016. However, h ...
to win a second term in the 2004 statewide elections. Berry narrowly defeated Mary Fant Donnan to keep her seat in the 2008 election. Berry won a fourth four-year term in November 2012, defeating former Labor Commissioner John C. Brooks by more than 280,000 votes. Berry won a fifth four-year term in November 2016 , defeating former Raleigh mayor Charles Meeker by more than 476,000 votes, her largest percentage margin of victory. On April 2, 2019, she announced at a Council of State meeting that she would not seek reelection. She endorsed Pearl Burris Floyd to succeed her. Berry was criticized in a newspaper report on poultry plant oversight. In 2008, ''
The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...
'' found that at least half of contributors to Berry's reelection campaign were the executives and managers of business inspected by the department she leads. The same report also found that while Berry's department reduced fines for workplace safety violations as a matter of routine, "Berry's contributors have usually gotten bigger-than-average breaks."


In popular culture

During Berry's first term as North Carolina Commissioner of Labor, her spokesman suggested that she include a portrait of herself on inspection forms displayed in elevators in the state "to put a face on government". Berry initially rejected the idea, but decided to implement it after winning reelection. Berry has received a small following among younger North Carolinians due to her catchy name and her picture inside elevators in North Carolina. Her picture and signature appeared inside all elevators in North Carolina on the Certification of Operation leading to her receiving the unofficial title of "The Elevator Queen". A paper published in a political science journal attributes her success above that of other Republican politicians to the presence of her name and picture in elevators across the state. In 2018
Elon University Elon University is a private university in Elon, North Carolina. Founded in 1889 as Elon College, Elon is organized into six schools, most of which offer bachelor's degrees and several of which offer master's degrees or professional doctora ...
conducted a poll on photographic recognition of North Carolina politicians. Most of the respondents who correctly identified Berry referred to her as the "Elevator Lady" or the "Elevator Queen" instead of using her name. In 2007 musician
Dan Bryk Dan Waldemar Bryk (born September 23, 1970) is a Canadian-born singer-songwriter and recording artist. Originally from Toronto, Bryk is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. A songwriter and keyboard player, Bryk has released five full-leng ...
recorded a song, ''Cherry Berry'', about the "gal in the elevator" after seeing Berry's photograph in an elevator. He released it under a pseudonym, Tha Commissioners, on a MySpace page and supplied a copy to a disc jockey at WKNC-FM, North Carolina State University's student radio station. The music director at the station played it frequently, and Berry said of it, "I just think it rocks." The band Alternative Champs also released a song about her, entitled, ''Cherie Berry''. A Raleigh shirt company released a shirt with the words "Cherie Berry lifts me up" printed on the front. A Durham restaurant also listed a "Cherie Berry's Elevated Tea" on its menu. In 2019 two North Carolina breweries released cherry-flavored beers in homage to Berry.


Electoral history


Citations


References

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External links


From Linthead to Queen : Labor Ledger
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Cherie 1946 births Living people People from Newton, North Carolina Lenoir–Rhyne University alumni Women state legislators in North Carolina 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina Commissioners of Labor