James Allen Graham, (April 27, 1921 – November 20, 2003) was an American teacher and politician who served as the thirteenth
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
The Commissioner of Agriculture is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who serves as the head of the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is res ...
.
Early life
Graham was born on April 7, 1921 to James Turner and Laura Blanche Allen Graham in
Cleveland, North Carolina
Cleveland is a town in the Cleveland Township of Rowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 871 at the 2010 census.
History
The town dates from 1831 but was not incorporated until 1833. The first post office in Cleveland, ...
.
Graham was raised in
Rowan County, North Carolina
Rowan County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Carolina that was formed in 1753, as part of the British Province of North Carolina. It was originally a vast territory with unlimited western boundaries, but its size w ...
on a 250-acre farm where the family raised cotton, cattle and grain.
Education
Graham graduated from Cleveland High School in 1938, where he played on the High School football team.
In 1942 Graham graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education
from
North Carolina State College
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...
where he was a member of
Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, making the Fraternity an internat ...
fraternity.
[Staff Writer (Summer 2012)]
"Tekes in Politics"
. ''The Teke''. pp. 12–13. Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, making the Fraternity an internat ...
. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
Family life
Jim Graham married Helen Ida Kirk, on October 30, 1942, they had two daughters, Alice Kirk Graham, and Laura Constance Graham.
Commissioner of Agriculture
On July 19, 1964 Graham was appointed
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
The Commissioner of Agriculture is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who serves as the head of the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is res ...
, by Governor
Terry Sanford
James Terry Sanford (August 20, 1917April 18, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th Governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. pre ...
, to fill the unexpired term of the late
Lynton Y. Ballentine. Graham was elected Commissioner of Agriculture in November 1964 and reelected eight times.
Writings
* Graham, James A.
The Sodfather: A Friend of Agriculture'' (1998).
References
External links
Guide to the NC State University Libraries Collection about Jim Graham 1940-2000NCSU Libraries Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, James Allen
1921 births
2003 deaths
North Carolina Commissioners of Agriculture
North Carolina State University alumni
People from Cleveland, North Carolina
North Carolina Democrats
20th-century American politicians