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 at 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 was North Carolina's second Catholic governor. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mike Easley was born on March 23, 1950, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. His parents were Henry Alexander and Huldah Marie Easley. 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 in 1972. While at UNC, he was part of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He then studied law at the North Carolina Central University School of Law. He earned his law degree in 1976. As a law student, Easley was the managing editor of the school's Law Review.
Family Life
Easley is married to Mary Easley (born Pipines). She worked at North Carolina State University for a time. She was also a law professor at North Carolina Central University. Before that, she worked as a prosecutor for ten years. Mike and Mary Easley have one son, Michael F. Easley Jr..
Political Career
Easley started his career as an assistant district attorney in 1976. In 1982, he was elected District Attorney. He was one of the youngest people to hold this position in North Carolina.
As a Democrat, Easley ran for the U.S. Senate in 1990 but did not win. He was elected North Carolina Attorney General in 1992. He took office on January 9, 1993. He was reelected as Attorney General in 1996. In that election, he won with 59.07% of the votes.
In 2000, Easley ran for Governor of North Carolina. He wanted to succeed Governor Hunt, who could not run again. Easley won the Democratic primary election. Then, he won the general election against Republican Richard Vinroot. Easley was reelected governor in 2004. He ran against state senator Patrick J. Ballantine.
Serving as Governor
During the 2000 governor's race, actor Andy Griffith made an advertisement supporting Easley. Some people believe this ad helped Easley win the election.
Improving education was a main goal for Easley as governor. In 2008, he received an award called "America's Greatest Education Governor." This award was from the National Education Association. They praised him for helping teachers and including them in education discussions.
One of Easley's important programs was More at Four. This program offered academic pre-kindergarten for children who needed extra help. Groups like the National Education Association praised More at Four.
Another key program was "Learn and Earn." This allowed North Carolina high school students to earn college credits. They could take online courses for free. The "Learn and Earn" program won an award from Harvard Kennedy School. Harvard noted that students in this program had higher graduation rates. Easley also started a program to help students get a debt-free college education. This was through EARN Grants of up to $8,000 over two years. In 2007, Easley wrote a children's book called Look Out, College, Here I Come!. The money from the book helps a North Carolina education charity.
During his time as governor, North Carolina faced budget problems. There were also tough economic times and natural disasters like hurricanes. Easley's handling of these money problems received different opinions. His supporters said many budget issues started before he became governor. Others criticized him for raising sales taxes to pay for new state programs.
Easley often disagreed with the state legislature. He was the first North Carolina governor to use the power of veto. Voters gave governors this power in 1996. He used his veto power nine times. His ninth veto was the first one that the legislature overturned in North Carolina history.
Easley ran for a second term as governor in 2004. He won against Rickey Kipfer in the Democratic primary. Then he faced Republican Patrick Ballantine and Libertarian Barbara Howe. Even though North Carolina voted for Republicans for president and senator, Easley won his second term. Democrats also regained control of both parts of the state legislature.
He also supported a statewide lottery. It was approved on August 31, 2005. Lieutenant Governor Bev Perdue cast the deciding vote in the Senate. Easley said the money from the lottery would go to important education programs.
After leaving office in 2009, Easley worked part-time. He promoted early college high schools for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Political Views
During the 2004 Democratic primary elections, Easley supported North Carolina Senator John Edwards.
In the 2008 presidential campaigns, Easley first supported Senator Hillary Clinton. After Senator Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination, Easley supported him. Obama ran against Republican nominee John McCain.
Current Activities
As of 2025, Mike Easley is a practicing attorney in North Carolina. He works with businesses and corporations. He has been involved in several important civil court cases. 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. He also helped challenge unfair voting district maps in North Carolina.
Personal Interests
Easley is a big fan of NASCAR racing. In 2003, he was involved in a crash at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He was driving Jimmie Johnson's race car when it hit a wall at 120 mph. He was not seriously hurt because he was wearing a special head-and-neck safety device.
He also enjoys the cartoon King of the Hill. When he was governor, he even asked his pollster to divide voters into those who watched the show and those who didn't. Easley thought that people's ideas were similar to the characters on the show. He would explain issues based on whether the King of the Hill characters would understand them.
Easley is also a skilled amateur woodworker. He appeared on an episode of The Woodwright's Shop. On the show, he made a walnut table.
Images for kids
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Mike Easley's signature
