Mike Easley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Easley
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| 72nd Governor of North Carolina | |
| In office January 6, 2001 – January 10, 2009 |
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| Lieutenant | Bev Perdue |
| Preceded by | Jim Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Bev Perdue |
| 49th Attorney General of North Carolina | |
| In office January 9, 1993 – January 6, 2001 |
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| Governor | Jim Hunt |
| Preceded by | Lacy Thornburg |
| Succeeded by | Roy Cooper |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Francis Easley
March 23, 1950 Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Mary Pipines
(m. 1980) |
| Children | Michael F. Easley Jr. |
| Residence | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA) North Carolina Central University (JD) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Michael Francis Easley (born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Easley was North Carolina's second Catholic governor.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mike Easley was born on March 23, 1950. His birthplace was Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He grew up on his family's farm in Nash County. He was one of seven children in a large Irish Catholic family.
Easley went to a local Catholic school first. He then transferred and graduated from Rocky Mount Senior High School in 1968. He attended Belmont Abbey College for two years. After that, he transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned a degree in political science there in 1972. He then studied law at the North Carolina Central University School of Law. He earned his law degree in 1976.
Family Life
Easley is married to Mary Easley. Her maiden name was Pipines. She worked at North Carolina State University. She was also a law professor and a prosecutor for ten years. They have one son, Michael F. Easley Jr..
Political Career
Easley started his career as an assistant district attorney in 1976. He was elected District Attorney in 1982. He was one of the youngest district attorneys in North Carolina.
As a Democrat, Easley ran for the U.S. Senate in 1990. He did not win the primary election. In 1992, Easley was elected North Carolina Attorney General. He took office on January 9, 1993. He was reelected in 1996.
In 2000, Easley ran for Governor of North Carolina. He won the Democratic primary election. Then he won against Republican Richard Vinroot in the main election. Easley was reelected as governor in 2004.
Serving as Governor
During the 2000 governor's race, actor Andy Griffith made an ad for Easley. Some people believe this ad helped Easley win. They called it the "Mayberry Miracle."
Education reform was a very important part of Easley's time as governor. In 2008, he received an award for being "America's Greatest Education Governor." This award was from the National Education Association. They praised him for improving teacher working conditions. They also liked that he included teachers in talks about education changes.
One of Easley's main programs was More at Four. This program offered academic pre-kindergarten for children who needed extra help. Groups like the National Education Association praised this program.
Another important program was "Learn and Earn." This allowed North Carolina high school students to earn college credit. They could take online courses for free. The "Learn and Earn" program won an award from Harvard Kennedy School. Harvard noted that students in the program had higher graduation rates. The program also helped students who were at risk or would be the first in their family to go to college. Easley also started a program called EARN Grants. These grants helped students get a debt-free college education. In 2007, Easley wrote a children's book. It was called Look Out, College, Here I Come!. The money from the book helps a North Carolina education charity.
His time as governor faced money problems and tough economic times. There were also natural disasters like hurricanes and floods. Easley was the first North Carolina governor to use the power of veto. Voters gave the governor this power in 1996. He used his veto power nine times. His ninth veto was the first one to be overridden by the legislature in North Carolina history.
Easley ran for a second term as governor in 2004. He won against Patrick Ballantine and Barbara Howe. Even though the state voted for Republicans for president and senator, Easley won his second term. Democrats also gained control of both parts of the state legislature.
He also supported a statewide lottery. It was approved in August 2005. Lieutenant Governor Bev Perdue cast the tie-breaking vote. Easley said the money from the lottery would help educational programs.
Governor Easley decided not to run for the U.S. Senate in 2008. After leaving office, Easley worked part-time. He promoted early college high schools for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Political Views
During the 2004 Democratic primaries, he supported North Carolina Senator John Edwards.
In the 2008 campaigns, Easley first supported Senator Hillary Clinton for president. After Senator Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination, Easley supported him.
Current Activities
Easley is a lawyer in North Carolina today. He works with businesses and companies. In 2018, he joined other former North Carolina Governors. They successfully opposed changes to the state constitution. These changes would have made the governor's powers weaker.
Personal Interests
Easley is a big fan of NASCAR. He was in a crash at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2003. He was driving Jimmie Johnson's race car. He was not seriously hurt because he was wearing a special safety device.
He also likes the cartoon King of the Hill. While he was governor, he even asked his pollster to find out which voters watched the show. He believed their ideas were like the characters on the show. He would then explain his ideas based on whether the characters would understand them.
Easley also enjoys woodworking. He appeared on a TV show called The Woodwright's Shop. On the show, he made a walnut table.
Images for kids
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Mike Easley's signature.
