Franklin Edward Freeman, Jr. (born 1945) is a lawyer and public official in

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 ...

, who retired from government service in 2009 as Senior Assistant for Governmental Affairs to Governor Mike Easley. He worked for Easley during the entirety of his two terms (2001–2009). As of 2009, Freeman is a partner in the

McGuireWoods McGuireWoods LLP is a US-based international law firm. Their largest offices are in Richmond, Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina and Chicago, Illinois. History 1800s–1960s McGuireWoods traces its origins to two lawyers, Egbert R. Watson and ...

law firm and vice president of McGuireWoods Consulting. Freeman, a native of Surry County, North Carolina, graduated from the

University of North Carolina Law School The University of North Carolina School of Law is the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the United States and is the oldest law school in North Caro ...

and clerked for state Supreme Court Justice

Dan K. Moore Daniel Killian Moore (April 2, 1906September 7, 1986) was the 66th Governor of the state of North Carolina from 1965 to 1969. Life and career Daniel Killian Moore was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on April 2, 1906 to Fred Moore and Lela ...

. Between 1971 and 1993, Freeman worked as a prosecutor and as an official at the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. In 1992, Freeman was defeated in the Democratic Primary by Ralph Campbell in his bid to be State Auditor. Campbell became the first African-American to hold a statewide elected executive office in North Carolina. Freeman became a close advisor to former state Governor Jim Hunt and served as Secretary of the state Department of Correction during Hunt's 1993-1997 term. He then became Hunt's chief of staff and legislative counsel.Freeman Moves up
/ref> Hunt later appointed Freeman to fill a vacancy on the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

, but Freeman was defeated in a bid to be elected to a full term on the Court in 2000 by current Justice Robert H. Edmunds, Jr.. Under Gov. Easley, Freeman assumed a role similar to his post under Hunt.

References

"Freeman blended Mayberry manner with liberal views
," News and Observer, Jan. 4, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Franklin 1945 births Living people People from Surry County, North Carolina University of North Carolina School of Law alumni Justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court State cabinet secretaries of North Carolina North Carolina Democrats North Carolina lawyers