Anthony Eden Rand (September 1, 1939 – May 1, 2020) was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the North Carolina General Assembly from 1981 to 1989 and again from 1995 to 2009.

Early life

Rand was born in southern

Wake County, North Carolina Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

, and graduated from Garner High School in 1957. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in political science 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 and a law degree from the

University of North Carolina School of Law The University of North Carolina School of Law is the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the United States and is the oldest law school in North Caro ...

1964.

Career

After serving for seven years, Rand left the Assembly to launch an unsuccessful bid for

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 ...

in 1988, losing to

Jim Gardner James or Jim Gardner may refer to: * James Gardner (surveyor), British engineer * James Gardner (designer) (1907–1995), British industrial designer * James Gardner (musician) (born 1962), British musician and composer * James A. Gardner (1943� ...

. Rand returned to the state Senate in 1995, where he served until his resignation in 2009. His district included Bladen and Cumberland counties. A lawyer and consultant from Fayetteville, North Carolina, Rand served as Senate Majority Leader from 2001 through 2009. He was succeeded in the leadership post by

Martin Nesbitt Martin Hughes Nesbitt (born November 29, 1962) is an American businessman and public figure. Nesbit is co-CEO of the Vistria Group, a Chicago-based private equity firm. Nesbitt is on the boards of directors of publicly traded companies CenterPo ...

. In 2007, Rand proposed in Senate Bill S1557 that the state formally apologize for slavery and the denial of civil rights that followed after slavery. On May 28, 2008, Rand filed North Carolina Senate Bill 2079 requiring North Carolina college students to mentor public school-age children in order to receive a bachelor's degree. The bill was named for

Eve Carson On the morning of March 5, 2008, Eve Marie Carson was shot and killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States where she was a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Demario James Atwater and Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr., ...

and Abhijit Mahato, two students murdered in

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 ...

in 2008. After leaving the Senate, Rand was appointed to head the state Post-Release Supervision and

Parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

Commission. He was also chairman of the board of Law Enforcement Associates Corp. Later, he was chairman of the North Carolina Education Lottery Commission.

Personal life

Rand had two children, including attorney

Ripley Rand Ripley Eagles Rand is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina from 2011 to 2017. President Barack Obama nominated him to the post on July 28, 2010. Education Rand earned both Bac ...

, who served as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Middle District of North Carolina. Rand died of cancer on May 1, 2020 in

Blowing Rock, North Carolina Blowing Rock is a town in Watauga and Caldwell counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 1,397 at the 2021 census. The Caldwell County portion of Blowing Rock is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton Metropo ...

. He was 80.

References

External links

, - , - , -
North Carolina General Assembly - Senator Tony Rand
official NC Senate website.
Project Vote Smart - Senator Tony Rand (NC)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Tony Rand
20082006200420022000
campaign contributions
News & Observer "Under the Dome" Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rand, Tony 1939 births 2020 deaths North Carolina lawyers Democratic Party North Carolina state senators People from Wake County, North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni University of North Carolina School of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians Deaths from cancer in North Carolina