James Ernest Goins (August 31, 1948 – June 7, 2015) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as the chairman of the

Lumbee Tribe The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina. The tribe represents Lumbee people. They have federal recognition as a Native American tribe but do not receive the benefits accorded to most other federally-recogn ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

from 2004 to 2010. As Lumbee Tribal Chairman, Goins led efforts to gain

federal recognition This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes are legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United States.

for the Lumbee tribe during the 2000s. The 55,000-member Lumbee have achieved North Carolina

state recognition Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral declarative political act of a state that acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state (may be also a recognized state). Recognition can be accor ...

, but have not yet received federal recognition. The Lumbee are the largest tribe living east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

who have not received federal recognition. Goins was born on August 31, 1948, to Ernest and Ola Lee Goins. He was raised in

Prospect, North Carolina Prospect is a census-designated place (CDP) in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 873 at the 2020 census. History Located due northeast of Pembroke, Prospect is a traditionally Methodist community, with its chur ...

. In 1965, Goins was a member of the Prospect High School

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team which won the Indian Basketball Championship. Goins later served as an infantry squad leader with the

504th Infantry Regiment The 504th Infantry Regiment, originally the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (504th PIR), is an airborne forces regiment of the United States Army, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, with a long and distinguished history. The regiment was f ...

of the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

.Jin Hyun Lee
"Lumbee Tribe"
''

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States Armed Forces, United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for Amphibious warfare, amphibious assault training, an ...

news website,'' 26 November 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2019. Jimmy Goins served as the Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe for six years from 2004 until 2010. As Chairman, Goins led efforts to achieve federal recognition for the Lumbee during the 2000s. He testified before the

United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1 ...

in September 2007 in an effort to gain recognition. In 2010, Goins signed a controversial lobbying contract with a

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

-based gaming consultant. Goins ran for Chairman again in 2012, but lost the election his successor, incumbent Lumbee Chairman Paul Brooks, on November 12, 2012. Brooks received 2,559 votes, or 52% of the vote, while Goins placed second with 2,042 votes (42%). A third candidate, Lynn Bruce Jacobs, received 298 votes (6%). A resident of

Philadelphus, North Carolina Philadelphus is a census-designated place (CDP) in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The community is located between the towns of Pembroke and Red Springs. It was established between 1796 and 1799. Notable person *Jimmy Goins – ...

, he and his wife, Diane Goins, had three daughters, Rhonda, Jackie and Jamie. Jimmy Goins was killed in a car accident at 1:30 p.m. on June 7, 2015, at the age of 66. Goins was driving on

North Carolina Highway 71 North Carolina Highway 71 (NC 71) is a state highway that serves the communities of Maxton, Red Springs, Shannon, Lumber Bridge, and Parkton. Most of the highway travels through Robeson County but a short portion of it passes through Scot ...

, approximately 4.4 miles from the town of

Maxton, North Carolina Maxton is a town in Robeson and Scotland counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,110 at the 2020 census. History The Maxton area was first settled in the 18th century. The community was incorporated in 1874 under the name ...

, when the accident occurred. North Carolina

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Pat McCrory Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd mayor of Charlotte ...

and North Carolina First Lady

Ann McCrory Ann Gordon McCrory (formerly Sturgis; born 23 November 1956) is an American human resources manager who, as the wife of Pat McCrory, was the first lady of Charlotte, North Carolina from 1995 to 2009 and first lady of North Carolina from 2013 to ...

released a joint statement of condolence following Goins' death. McCrory ordered that all state flags be lowered to

half staff Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress signal, distress, or, in so ...

in Goins' memory on June 11, 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goins, Jimmy 1948 births 2015 deaths 21st-century Native American politicians United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Lumbee people Military personnel from North Carolina Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina politicians People from Maxton, North Carolina People from Robeson County, North Carolina United States Army soldiers 21st-century North Carolina politicians 21st-century Native American leaders