Steve W. Troxler (born 1952) is an American farmer and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. He serves as the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for

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 ...

. Because of a contested election due to lost ballots in the November 2004 statewide election, he was not sworn in until February 8, 2005. He was re-elected in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020.Ballotpedia - Steve Troxler
Retrieved Feb. 20, 2021.
Retrieved Feb. 20, 2021

Biography

Troxler was born and grew up in

Browns Summit, North Carolina Browns Summit (sometimes called Brown Summit) is a small unincorporated community in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. The community remains rural, consisting of wooded areas and a mixture of open meadows and rolling farmland, howev ...

, where he attended local schools. He studied

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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 ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in 1974. Troxler originally leased farmland in Browns Summit before he purchased some after he got his degree and primarily grew tobacco. After he was elected to office, he planted less tobacco in favor of wheat and produce.

Political career

Troxler was originally a member of the

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, but left the organization in the late 1990s, feeling that Democrats were hostile to tobacco production. Jerry Blackwelder, a

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consultant, recruited him as a candidate for the office of

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 ...

. Troxler ran in 2000, losing to Meg Scott Phipps. Due to a financial corruption scandal, Phipps was replaced by Democrat

Britt Cobb W. Britt Cobb, Jr. is a former North Carolina government official. His last position was as chief of staff for North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue until she left office in January 2013. Previously, he had served as her Secretary of Administrat ...

in 2003. Troxler ran again for the same position in the 2004 Council of State election, finishing 2,287 votes ahead of incumbent Cobb. However, because more than 4,000 votes were lost in Carteret County, the race was unresolved for more than three months. After extended legal challenges between Cobb and Troxler, Cobb conceded the race on February 4, 2005. Troxler was sworn in as North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner on February 8, 2005. He was the first Republican to be elected as Agriculture Commissioner in the state's history, reflecting the ascendancy of the party in the state. After his inauguration at the

North Carolina State Fairgrounds The North Carolina State Fair is an American state fair and agricultural exposition held annually in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1853, the fair is organized by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It attr ...

, Troxler rode a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...

to his downtown offices. Troxler was re-elected in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

as Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the state of North Carolina. As of

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

he is currently serving his fifth term. Because of a state law passed in 2013 that expanded venues for carrying legally permitted weapons, in 2014 a gun owners group challenged the no-guns policy of the North Carolina State Fair. Troxler enforced the ban that year while court cases were litigated. A Wake County Superior Court upheld the ban at the fair later that year. By early 2015, some legislators introduced bills to allow guns, while others introduced a bill to maintain the ban on carrying guns at the fair.Jim Morrill, "Bill would allow guns at NC State Fair"
''Charlotte Observer'', 02 April 2015; accessed 10 June 2018 The ban continues as of 2021.

Electoral history

References

External links

North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Troxler, Steve 1952 births Living people North Carolina Commissioners of Agriculture North Carolina Republicans North Carolina State University alumni People from Browns Summit, North Carolina