Josh Dobson (born July 19, 1981) is an American politician, currently serving as

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 ...

. He previously served in the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

Early life and education

Dobson was born on July 19, 1981 in North Carolina. He grew up in Avery County, and graduated from Avery High School. He then went to McDowell Technical Community College, where he completed an associate’s degree; Gardner-Webb University, where he got a bachelor’s degree; and

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

, where he earned a master’s degree in public administration. He was appointed to the

on January 29, 2013, after

Mitch Gillespie Robert Mitchell Gillespie is a former Assistant Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and a former Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly. He represented the eighty-fifth district in ...

resigned. Before becoming a State Representative, Dobson was a county commissioner for McDowell County.

Legislative tenure

2014 election

Dobson was unopposed in the Republican primary, and he defeated JR Edwards in the general election.

2016 election

Dobson was unopposed in both the Republican primary and the general election.

2018 election

Dobson was unopposed in the Republican primary, and he defeated Howard Larsen in the general election.

Commissioner of Labor

2020 election

In May 2019, Dobson decided to run for

. He defeated Democrat Jessica Holmes in the November 2020 general election. He assumed office on January 2, 2021.

Tenure

On December 6, 2022, Dobson announced that he would not seek reelection or election to any other public office in 2024.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Josh 1981 births 21st-century American politicians Living people Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina Commissioners of Labor