James “Jim” Baxter Hunt Jr., the longest serving governor in North Carolina history and longtime partner of North Carolina State University, has died at age 88.
According to a WRAL report, Rachel Hunt, his daughter, was able to confirm his passing.
Hunt earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education in 1959 and master’s degree in agricultural economics in 1962 from NC State. Raised on a Wilson County farm in Greensboro, North Carolina, Hunt grew up milking cows, an experience that shaped both his academic path and public service later in life.
Initially planning to study dairy husbandry, he later shifted his focus toward agricultural education, wanting to become an agricultural teacher. His master’s thesis — an economic analysis of tobacco production techniques — was recognized by the American Farm Economic Association as one of the three best in the nation.
In addition to pursuing a degree in agricultural education, Hunt was deeply involved in campus life. He served in student government, becoming the second student in university history to serve two terms as student body president. He also worked as an editor for The Agriculturalist, NC State’s agricultural publication, appearing in the 1958 edition of Agromeck.
Hunt’s connection to NC State continued post-graduation. As governor, he recognized the growing demand for veterinarians as North Carolina’s livestock industry expanded and biotechnology emerged in the Research Triangle Park. Hunt secured state funding for a School of Veterinary Medicine at NC State in his 1979-1980 and 1980-1981 budgets. The school admitted its first academic class in 1981, later becoming the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1987.
His legacy and involvement in developing NC State as an institution extends to Centennial Campus as well. In December 1984, he authorized the initial transfer of 355 acres of land from vacated Dorothea Dix property to NC State ownership. Years later, this land would expand and transform, forming what we now call Centennial Campus, one of the “premier research parks in America.”
James B. Hunt Jr. Library on Centennial Campus was named after the four-term governor to honor his contributions to developing education at NC State.
This is a developing story.
