Robert Lee Gavin (May 22, 1916 – June 11, 1981) was an American attorney and politician.

Early life and education

Robert Gavin was born on May 22, 1916, in

Roseboro, North Carolina Roseboro is a town in Sampson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,163 at the 2020 census. History Roseboro was founded when the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad built a line from Fayetteville to Wilmington, and it j ...

, United States, to Edward Lee Gavin and Mary Caudle Gavin. Soon thereafter his family moved to Sanford, where he attended public schools. He received a bachelor's degree from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

in 1936 and returned to Sanford to establish a timber business. After the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Gavin left Sanford to serve in the

United States Army Coast Artillery Corps The U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps (CAC) was an administrative corps responsible for coastal, harbor, and anti-aircraft defense of the United States and its possessions between 1901 and 1950. The CAC also operated heavy and railway artiller ...

for one year, reaching the rank of corporal. After the war Gavin finished his education at the

University of North Carolina School of Law The University of North Carolina School of Law (branded as Carolina Law) is the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the oldest law sch ...

and was admitted to the North Carolina State Bar in 1946. He married Grace McNiell Blue in 1947 and had three children with her.

Career

After receiving his law degree, Gavin returned to Sanford and practiced with the family firm of Gavin, Jackson, and Gavin. He served as a delegate to the Republican Party's national conventions in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

, and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

. In 1954 he was appointed Assistant United States District Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. In 1957 he was made United States District Attorney for the Middle District, temporarily filling in a vacancy created by the departure of his predecessor. In 1958 he left the post to resume private legal practice. In 1960 Gavin, a Republican, ran to become

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

in 1960. He faced Democrat

Terry Sanford James Terry Sanford (August 20, 1917April 18, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th Governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. pre ...

in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

. Gavin denounced Sanford as a tool of the liberal leadership of the national Democratic Party and organized labor. He identified himself as a conservative but denied being a reactionary. He called for a " fusion" of Democratic and Republican voters to support his candidacy, and promised to institute a civil service system to reduce the amount of

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

available to state politicians. Though he said he would not make race an issue of his campaign, he criticized the national Democratic Party's support for civil rights. He lost the gubernatorial race, 613,975 votes to Sanford's 735,258 votes, but performed better than other Republican gubernatorial candidates had in preceding years. In 1962 he became Chairman of the

North Carolina Republican Party The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley was the chair from 2019 until his election as national chair in March 2024. It is currentl ...

, holding the post until the following year. Gavin initially announced that he would not seek the Republican nomination for the 1964 North Carolina gubernatorial election, but changed his mind at the state Republican convention and accepted the nomination that year after being urged to do so by his colleagues. He lost the general election to Democrat Dan K. Moore, earning 606,165 votes to Moore's 790,343 votes. Attributing the defeat to a lack of black electoral support, he urged the Republican Party to reach out to black voters, though he opposed the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

. Gavin served as the city attorney of Sanford from 1965 to 1971, when he left the city and moved to Pinehurst. He served on the North Carolina State Constitution Study Commission in 1968. In 1972 and 1973 he acted as a civilian aide to the

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

. Republican governor James Holshouser appointed him as a special judge on the

North Carolina Superior Court The Superior Court is North Carolina's general jurisdiction trial court. It was established in 1777 and is North Carolina's oldest court. History The Superior Court is North Carolina's oldest court. It was established by a law passed on November 1 ...

in 1974. He was sworn in on January 6, 1975. Holshouser's successor, Democrat

Jim Hunt James Baxter Hunt Jr. (born May 16, 1937) is an American politician and retired attorney who was the List of governors of North Carolina, 69th and 71st governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governo ...

, reappointed Gavin to the post, and in 1980 he supported Hunt's reelection. He retired from the judgeship that year.

Later life

After leaving his judicial office, Gavin practiced law at the firm of Staton, Gavin, and Perkinson. He began receiving chemotherapy to treat

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

in early 1981. He died on June 11, 1981, at his home in Pinehurst.

References

Works cited

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See profile at

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gavin, Robert L. 1916 births 1981 deaths North Carolina Republicans University of North Carolina School of Law alumni United States attorneys for the Middle District of North Carolina North Carolina lawyers State political party chairs of North Carolina 20th-century American lawyers