Robert Byrd Jordan III (October 11, 1932 – February 16, 2020) was an American politician who served as the 29th

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member o ...

for one term (1985–1989) under Governor

James G. Martin James Grubbs Martin (born December 11, 1935) is an American organic chemist and politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 70th governor of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. He was the third Republican elected to the of ...

and who unsuccessfully ran for

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

in 1988. Jordan, a native of Mount Gilead, North Carolina, graduated from

North Carolina State University 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 universit ...

in 1954 with honors in forestry. Prior to being elected lieutenant governor, Jordan ran his family's lumber company and served in the North Carolina Senate 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 ...

from 1976 to 1984. In 1984, he defeated state House Speaker Carl J. Stewart, Jr. in a hard-fought Democratic primary, then defeated Republican John H. Carrington in the general election to become North Carolina's 29th lieutenant governor. He easily won the 1988 gubernatorial nomination but lost the general election to incumbent

. An advocate of education, Jordan has served on the

North Carolina Board of Education The North Carolina State Board of Education, established by Article 9 of the Constitution of North Carolina, supervises and administers the public school systems of North Carolina. The board sets policy and general procedures for public school syst ...

, the state Board of Community Colleges, and the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors. On May 20, 2009, Jordan was elected chairman of the Trustees of

to serve the remaining term of McQueen Campbell, who resigned in conjunction with the investigation of

Mike Easley Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony. A member of ...

. Jordan Hall at North Carolina State University was named after his family. Jordan died on February 16, 2020, at his home in Mount Gilead, North Carolina.

References

External links

NC Notable Bob JordanNorth Carolina Award citationJordan elected chairman of NCSU trustees
, - Democratic Party North Carolina state senators Lieutenant Governors of North Carolina North Carolina State University alumni People from Mount Gilead, North Carolina 1932 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American politicians {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub