John Keith Crisco Sr. (April 22, 1943 – May 12, 2014) was an American businessman and public official from the State of

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 ...

Early life and career

Born in 1943 in

Stanly County, North Carolina Stanly County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,504. Its county seat is Albemarle. Stanly County comprises the Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included i ...

, Crisco graduated from

Pfeiffer University Pfeiffer University is a private university in Misenheimer, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History Pfeiffer originated from a home school operated by Miss Emily Prudden in the late 19th century. The school ...

with a bachelor's degree and from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

with a

Master's of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

. He was then a

White House Fellow The White House Fellows program is a federal fellowship program established via Executive Order by President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964, based upon a suggestion from John W. Gardner, then the president of Carnegie Corp ...

during the

Nixon administration Richard Nixon's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 37th president of the United States began with First inauguration of Richard Nixon, his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 1974 ...

. In 1978, he moved back to his native North Carolina to become the president of Stedman Elastics, based in

Asheboro Asheboro is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 25,012 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Greensboro–High Point metropolitan area of the Piedmont Triad and is home of the sta ...

. Along with other partners, he founded Asheboro Elastics Company in 1986.

Political career

Crisco served on the

Asheboro City Schools Asheboro City Schools is located in Asheboro, North Carolina, United States. District information * 4,485 students * 620 staff * Five elementary schools * Two middle schools * One high school * One additional site that houses the Early Child ...

Board of Education from 1981 to 1987, the

Randolph Community College Randolph Community College is a public community college in Randolph County, North Carolina. It is part of the North Carolina Community College System. History The college opened in September 1962 as "Randolph Industrial Education Center", a ...

Board from 1993 to 2000 and on the

City Council from 2003 to 2009. From 2009 through 2013, he served as Secretary of the

North Carolina Department of Commerce The North Carolina Department of Commerce was formed in 1971 by the North Carolina State Government Reorganization Act. The department is headed by the Secretary of Commerce, who is appointed by the Governor of North Carolina. The Secretary is p ...

. He helped create almost 120,000 jobs and invested over $27 billion into the North Carolina economy. He also served as a volunteer non-profit board member at Pfeiffer University, where he was also a trustee for over 30 years; and served as Chairman of the Bennett College Board; on the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research; and in numerous other local and national organizations.

North Carolina's 2nd congressional district primary

In 2014, he ran for the Democratic nomination for

North Carolina's 2nd congressional district North Carolina's 2nd congressional district is located in the central part of the state. The district contains most of Wake County. Prior to court-mandated redistricting in 2019, it also included northern Johnston County, southern Nash County, ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. His main opponent was former ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' contestant and season 2 runner-up

Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes Aiken (''né'' Grissom; born November 30, 1978) is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of ''American Idol'' in 2003, and his debut album, ' ...

. The primary was held May 6, and the results were too close to call even a week later, with Crisco on 11,265 votes (39.54%), only narrowly behind Aiken on 11,634 votes (40.83%), who was only just above the 40% necessary to avoid a runoff.

Death

Though Crisco had initially said he would not concede, he changed his mind and had planned to concede on May 13. However, while both candidates were waiting for the results to be certified on May 13, Crisco died suddenly on May 12, after suffering a fall in his home. He was 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crisco, Keith, Sr. 1943 births 2014 deaths Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in North Carolina State cabinet secretaries of North Carolina North Carolina Democrats North Carolina city council members People from Asheboro, North Carolina People from Stanly County, North Carolina Candidates in the 2014 United States elections 21st-century American politicians Pfeiffer University alumni Harvard Business School alumni White House Fellows