Harlan E. Boyles (May 6, 1929 – January 23, 2003) was a politician and public servant 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 So ...

, who served as

North Carolina State Treasurer The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Dale Folwell. The office of state treasur ...

from January 1977 to January 2001. Boyles grew up in

Lincoln County, North Carolina Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,810. Its county seat is Lincolnton. Lincoln County is included in the Charlotte-Concord- Gastonia, NC- SC Metropolitan Statist ...

, where his father farmed and owned a country store. As a boy, Boyles was afflicted with

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

. He attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

and then transferred to 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 ...

, where he earned an

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

degree in 1951. Boyles went to work for the state, first in the state Department of Revenue and later for the Tax Study Commission. For sixteen years, he was Deputy State Treasurer for Treasurer

Edwin M. Gill Edwin Maurice Gill (July 20, 1899 – July 16, 1978) was an American politician, lawyer, and public finance official who served as North Carolina State Treasurer from 1953 to 1977. Early life Edwin Gill was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina, ...

. When Gill retired, Boyles ran for the office as a

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 ...

in the 1976 election and won. Boyles was sworn in as State Treasurer on January 8, 1977. He was re-elected in 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, and 1996, for a total of twenty-four years in office. He did not seek re-election in 2000. Boyles died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

at his home in

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

on January 23, 2003. Boyles also authored the book, "Keeper of the Public Purse" detailing his life as Treasurer.

References

External links

Obituary
from the ''Triangle Business Journal''

1929 births 2003 deaths People from Lincoln County, North Carolina State treasurers of North Carolina UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School alumni University of Georgia alumni 20th-century American politicians {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub