Luther Hartwell Hodges Jr. (born November 19, 1936) is a retired American politician and banker. He is the son of

Luther H. Hodges Luther Hartwell Hodges (March 9, 1898October 6, 1974) was a businessman and American politician. After a career in textile manufacturing, he entered public service, gaining some state appointments. Elected as lieutenant governor of North Carolin ...

who was Secretary of Commerce under

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

between 1961 and 1965, and the 64th governor of North Carolina.

Early life and education

Hodges was born on November 19, 1936, in Leaksville (now Eden),

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 ...

. In 1957, he received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in economics from 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 ...

. In 1961, he received a

Master 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 accounti ...

from

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

. In 1961, he became a research associate and corporate finance teacher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Career

From 1962 to 1977, Hodges worked for

North Carolina National Bank North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) was a bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to 1960 called American Commercial Bank. It was one of the top banking institutions. From 1974 to 1983, the bank was run by Chairman and Chief Executive Office ...

alongside

Hugh McColl Hugh L. McColl Jr. (born 18 June 1935) is a fourth-generation banker and the former Chairman and CEO of Bank of America. Active in banking since around 1960, McColl was a driving force behind consolidating a series of progressively larger, mos ...

, eventually rising to the position of

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

. The bank eventually became

NationsBank NationsBank was one of the largest banking corporations in the United States, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company named NationsBank was formed through the merger of several other banks in 1991, and prior to that had been through mul ...

and later

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

. Hodges entered politics in 1978, running for the nomination of the Democrats in the United States Senate election in North Carolina, 1978. He won the first round of the primary, with 40% of the vote, but, having failed to receive the 50% required to win on the first ballot, lost to populist

North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance The Commissioner of Insurance 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 Insurance. The commissioner also oversees the Office of the State Fi ...

John Ingram with only 46% in the run-off. Between 1980 and 1981, Hodges was the first

United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce The Deputy Secretary of Commerce is a high-ranking position within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It was created on December 13, 1979, when President Jimmy Carter sent a letter to the U.S. Senate and nominated Luther H. Hodges Jr., who then curr ...

, appointed by

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

. Previously Under Secretary of Commerce, he had been tapped to replace

Juanita M. Kreps Clara Juanita Morris Kreps (January 11, 1921July 5, 2010) was an American economist, educator and businesswoman who served as the 24th United States secretary of commerce under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic ...

United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

, but, after a spell as Acting Secretary, the job went to

Philip Klutznick Philip Morris Klutznick (July 9, 1907 – August 14, 1999) was a U.S. administrator who served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce from January 9, 1980 to January 19, 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He was a prominent leader of several Jewish orga ...

, and the new Deputy Secretary position was created for him. From 1980 to 1990, he was chairman of Washington Bancorp, the parent company of

The Bank of Washington The Bank of Washington, later named The National Bank of Washington and abbreviated as NBW, was the first bank established in Washington, D.C. After suffering from bank failure in 1990, the bank was acquired by Riggs Bank. History The bank was ch ...

. Later, Hodges owned the Hotel Santa Fe in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

. In 2016, Hodges wrote a book, ''Bank Notes: An Inside Look at the Launching of North Carolina's Banking Ascendancy and a Commentary on the Current New World of Banking''. Hodges also is a former member of the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina and is a past chairman of the College of Santa Fe. He has also served as a trustee of

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

and of

Johnson C. Smith University Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is a private historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The univer ...

. He is a director of Homeowners of America Insurance Corporation, Atmocean, Inc., and H&H Medical Technologies. He has also served as a member of the board of directors of the

North Carolina State Ports Authority The North Carolina State Ports Authority is an authority set up by the state of North Carolina to develop and operate seaports in Wilmington and Morehead City as well as an inland port located in Charlotte. History In 1923 North Carolina Govern ...

Political contributions

Hodges began his political career as a Democrat, but later changed to Republican. In 2004, Hodges contributed more than $30,000 to Republican candidates including

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...

, and Senator

Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who is the senior United States senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United ...

. In 2012, Hodges contributed over $51,000 to Republican candidates and organizations including

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

Renee Ellmers Renee Louise Ellmers ( Jacisin; born February 9, 1964) is an American registered nurse and politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. She is a member of the Republican Party. Ellmers defeated seven-term Democratic incum ...

, (R-NC) and

Virginia Foxx Virginia Ann Foxx ( Palmieri;Foxx, Virginia Ann
. ''Biographical Directory of ...

(R-NC).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Luther H. Jr. United States Deputy Secretaries of Commerce United States Under Secretaries of Commerce North Carolina Democrats Businesspeople from North Carolina American bankers Living people 1936 births Hodges family People from Eden, North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Harvard Business School alumni United States Secretaries of Commerce