Mike Easley
| Mike Easley | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 72nd Governor of North Carolina | |
|
In office January 6, 2001 – January 10, 2009 |
|
| Lieutenant | Beverly Perdue |
| Preceded by | Jim Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Beverly Perdue |
| 48th North Carolina Attorney General | |
|
In office January 9, 1993 – January 6, 2001 |
|
| Governor | Jim Hunt |
| Preceded by | Lacy Thornburg |
| Succeeded by | Roy A. Cooper |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Francis Easley March 23, 1950 Rocky Mount, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Easley |
| Residence | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Alma mater |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina Central University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 72nd governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Easley was North Carolina's second Catholic governor. Thomas Burke was the first, though Easley is the first elected by popular vote.
Easley was raised a Roman Catholic in otherwise overwhelmingly Protestant Nash County, North Carolina. His father, Alexander Easley, owned one of the two big tobacco warehouses in the area. Easley earned a degree with honors in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972. While at UNC he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. He then attended the North Carolina Central University School of Law, earning his J.D. degree, with honors, in 1976.
Easley is married to Mary Easley (née Pipines), who worked in the Provost's Office at North Carolina State University until June 8, 2009, when her contract was terminated by the North Carolina State Board of Trustees. She is a former law professor at North Carolina Central University and also worked for ten years as a prosecutor. The two have one son, Michael Easley, Jr.
Easley was elected District Attorney, one of the youngest ever in the state, in 1982.
A Democrat, Easley ran unsuccessfully in that party's 1990 primary for the U.S. Senate; he lost to former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, who himself lost to incumbent Jesse Helms. Easley was elected North Carolina Attorney General in 1992. He won reelection in 1996. In the 1996 election for attorney general, Easley garnered 59.07% of the vote, compared with opponent Robert H. Edmonds, Jr.'s 40.93% of votes. This represented a margin of victory of 446,169 votes.
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