James D. McGinnis
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James D. McGinnis (January 11, 1932 – February 24, 2009) was an American real estate agent and politician from Dover in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as Delaware's
19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
.
State Administrative Officials Classified by Functions''. United States, Council of State Governments., 1977. 104.


Professional career

McGinnis was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Dover, Delaware, in 1954. In 1964 he entered the real estate business by selling and leasing commercial property. He worked in the industry for eleven years before earning his Broker's license from the Delaware Real Estate Commission in 1975. McGinnis earned a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the National Association of Realtors

and is a member of the Kent County Association of Realtors, Delaware Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors. From 1990 to 1992, he served on the Landlord-Tenant Committee for the Kent County Realtors Association.


Political career

McGinnis first won elected office in 1962, when he was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives. In 1964, after only one term in the House, McGinnis won election to the Delaware State Senate, State Senate, holding his seat until 1966. Upon the retirement of Democratic state representative Ralph R. Smith in 1972, McGinnis returned to the State House by winning Smith's seat in Delaware's 32nd Representative district. He was reelected in 1974 and served as majority leader from 1975 to 1976. McGinnis's legislative prowess led Delaware Democrats to nominate him for lieutenant governor. The Democratic candidate for Governor was incumbent
Sherman W. Tribbitt Sherman Willard Tribbitt (November 9, 1922 – August 14, 2010) was an American merchant and politician from Odessa in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a World War II veteran and a member of the Democratic Party who served in the Delaware ...
, running for reelection amid a financial crisis. Then U.S. Congressman and
du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817). It has been one of the richest families in the United States since the mid-19th century, when it founded its fo ...
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Pierre S. du Pont, IV Pierre Samuel "Pete" du Pont IV (January 22, 1935 – May 8, 2021) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Rockland, in New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. He was the United States representative for Delaware from ...
defeated Tribbitt for governor by a 15-point margin. Despite this overwhelming defeat by the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, McGinnis won his race for lieutenant governor, defeating Republican Andrew Foltz by a slim -point margin. In 1980 McGinnis declined to run for reelection as lieutenant governor, instead opting to run for governor. However, he and most of the other Democratic contenders dropped out of the primary in favor of eventual nominee William J. Gordy. Gordy lost to incumbent governor du Pont. The Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor was State Senate Majority Leader and future
President Pro Tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...
Thomas B. Sharp, who lost the election to future governor
Michael N. Castle Michael Newbold Castle (born July 2, 1939) is an American lawyer and politician who was governor of Delaware (1985–92) and the U.S. representative for (1993–2011). He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes the entire ...
by 19%. In March 1997 Democratic governor Thomas R. Carper recognized McGinnis's combined experience in the areas of politics and real estate by appointing him to a three-year term on the Delaware Real Estate Commission. He has been reappointed since then by Carper and his successor,
Ruth Ann Minner Ruth Ann Minner (née Coverdale; January 17, 1935 – November 4, 2021) was an American politician and businesswoman from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 72nd (and, to date, only female) gov ...
. Minner and McGinnis had served together in the State House from 1975 to 1977, when McGinnis was the floor leader for their caucus and Minner was in her first term.


Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. Members of the Delaware General Assembly take office the second Tuesday of January. The lieutenant governor takes office the third Tuesday of January.


References


Further reading

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Delaware Historical Society The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a statewide historical institution with several buildings, including Old Town Hall and the Delaware History Muse ...

website
505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 *
University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

Library website
181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965


External links


Delaware Election Results McGinnis Realty
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGinnis, James D. 1932 births 2009 deaths Politicians from Chicago People from Dover, Delaware Businesspeople from Delaware Democratic Party members of the Delaware House of Representatives Democratic Party Delaware state senators Lieutenant Governors of Delaware Burials in Kent County, Delaware 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American businesspeople