Ann McCrory

Last updated

Pat McCrory
​
(m. 1988)​
Ann McCrory
First Lady of North Carolina
In role
January 5, 2013 –January 1, 2017
Parent(s)William P. Gordon
Barbara Ann Binnicker
Education Limestone College (BA)
Winthrop University (MA)
Occupationcounselor, human resources manager

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 2017. McCrory led a fairly private life during her time as first lady, and rarely made public appearances. She has worked as the vice president of human resources for YMCA and as a regional human resources manager at Cigna.

Contents

Early life and education

McCrory was born on November 23, 1956, at the Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. [1] She is the daughter of Colonel William Price Gordon, Jr., a retired United States Air Force officer and economics professor, and Barbara Ann Binnicker Gordon. [2] Her paternal grandfather, Rev. William Price Gordon, Sr., was a Methodist minister and chaplain with the United Service Organizations. [3] She attended Gaffney High School in Gaffney, South Carolina in the 1970s, where she was a classmate of the actress Andie MacDowell. [2] She was a member of the school's Spanish club, Bible club, and the cheerleading squad. [2]

She received a bachelor's degree in education and history from Limestone College, where her father was a faculty member. [2] She was a member of Limetsone's student senate and was historian of her sorority. [2] In 1976 she was a junior attendant of the college's annual May Court. [2] She went on to earn a master's degree in counseling from Winthrop University. [1] [2]

Career

McCrory worked as the vice president of human resources for YMCA and as a regional human resources manager at Cigna. [1]

From 1995 to 2009, McCrory was the first lady of Charlotte, North Carolina, through her husband's seven terms as mayor. [2] He had previously served three terms as a city councilman. [2]

She assumed the role of first lady of North Carolina and moved into the North Carolina Executive Mansion upon her husband's inauguration as governor in 2013. [4] [2] [5] She and her husband were the first Republicans to serve as First Lady and Governor of North Carolina in twenty years. [2] [6] Throughout her time as first lady, McCrory kept a fairly low profile and refused to be interviewed by news and media outlets. [2] She rarely made public appearances and declined to host the Junior League's traditional First Lady's Luncheon in Raleigh in January 2013. [2] Her first main public appearance was on November 7, 2012, at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, where she introduced her husband as North Carolina's next governor. [2] In January 2013, after refusing to do the Junior League luncheon, McCrory attended an event at the Durham Rescue Mission in Durham, North Carolina to serve a catered lunch with women and children served by the facility. [2]

One of McCrory's main projects as first lady was to regulate puppy mills in North Carolina. [6] She introduced a bill to the North Carolina State Legislature in 2013 which failed to pass. [6] During the debate in the North Carolina House of Representatives, where McCrory was present in the visitor's gallery, Rep. Michael Speciale of New Bern ridiculed her proposed bill requiring breeders of a certain size to adhere to standards including exercising dogs and practicing humane euthanasia. [6] Speciale said, "Exercise on a daily basis – if I kick him across the floor, is that daily exercise? 'Euthanasia performed humanely' – so I should choose the ax or the baseball bat?" [6] The debate was seen as an insult to the governor and first lady. [6]

In 2015, McCrory and her husband released a joint statement regarding the death of Jimmy Goins, Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. [7]

Governor McCrory stated in an interview in December 2019 that moving back to Charlotte was hard on him and Ann McCrory, due to threats they reportedly received while he was in office. [8]

Personal life

In 1983, while living in Columbia, South Carolina, McCrory divorced her first husband and resumed use of her maiden name. [2] She met her second husband, Pat McCrory, at a human resources convention in Atlanta. [2] They married in 1988. [1] They live in the Myers Park neighborhood in Charlotte. [2] [9]

In 2017 she and her husband purchased a 2,800 square-foot waterfront vacation house on Lake James for $650,000. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter H. Dalton</span> 33rd Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Walter H. Dalton is an American attorney and politician who served as the 33rd Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served six terms in the state senate before his election to the office of lieutenant governor in 2008. As of 2024 he is the most recent Democrat to have served that office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake James State Park</span> State park in Burke and McDowell Counties, North Carolina

Lake James State Park is a North Carolina state park in Burke and McDowell counties, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Nebo, North Carolina, it covers 3,743 acres (15.15 km2) and borders 6,510-acre (26 km2) Lake James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat McCrory</span> Governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017

Patrick Lloyd McCrory is an American politician, businessman, and radio host who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. As of 2023, McCrory remains the only Republican elected as governor of North Carolina in the 21st century. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd mayor of Charlotte from 1995 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 North Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

The 2008 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House elections, Council of State and statewide judicial elections. Democrat Bev Perdue won the election. With a margin of 3.39%, this election was the closest race of the 2008 gubernatorial election cycle. This was the first time that the same party that was elected governor, won the concurrent presidential race since 1988. This was the first time Democrats did so since 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldona Wos</span> Polish-American diplomat & politician (born 1955)

Aldona Zofia Wos is a Polish-American former physician and Republican politician who served in various positions at several government agencies under Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump and nonprofit organizations. She was the United States Ambassador to Estonia from 2004 until early December 2006, the fifth since the country regained its independence in 1991. From 2013 until 2015, she was Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. From 2017 to 2021, Wos served as vice-chairwoman of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships, which is tasked with reviewing candidates for White House fellowships.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is a state-level law enforcement agency in North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

The 2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 United States presidential election, U.S. House election, statewide judicial election, Council of State election and various local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bev Perdue</span> American politician and 73rd governor of North Carolina

Beverly Eaves Perdue is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 73rd governor of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. She was the first and currently to date the only female governor of North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 North Carolina gubernatorial election</span>

The 2016 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Democratic state attorney general Roy Cooper won his first term in office, defeating Republican incumbent Pat McCrory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Speciale</span> American politician

Michael David Speciale is an American Republican politician. He was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing the 3rd District from 2013 until 2021. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, before moving to North Carolina as a Marine at the age of 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Sgro</span> American politician from North Carolina

Christopher Michael Sgro is an American politician and political strategist best known for his work advocating for LGBT rights in North Carolina. He is a former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives and former executive director of Equality North Carolina. In 2017, Sgro became Communications Director of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT rights organization in the United States, where he later served as Senior Vice President of Communications. He currently works as spokesperson for Meta.

James Ernest Goins was an American politician who served as the chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina from 2004 to 2010. As Lumbee Tribal Chairman, Goins led efforts to gain federal recognition for the Lumbee tribe during the 2000s. The 55,000-member Lumbee have achieved North Carolina state recognition, but have not yet received federal recognition. The Lumbee are the largest tribe living east of the Mississippi River who have not received federal recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act</span> Act passed in the U.S. state of North Carolina in 2016

The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, commonly known as House Bill 2 or HB2, was a North Carolina statute passed in March 2016 and signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory. The bill amended state law to preempt any anti-discrimination ordinances passed by local communities and, controversially, compelled schools and state and local government facilities containing single-gender bathrooms to only allow people of the corresponding sex as listed on their birth certificate to use them; it also gave the state exclusive rights to determine the minimum wage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of North Carolina. Primary elections were scheduled for March 8, 2022, but were delayed by the North Carolina Supreme Court and rescheduled for May 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary P. Easley</span> First Lady of North Carolina

Mary Pipines Easley is an American attorney, academic, and former university administrator who, as the wife of Governor Mike Easley, served as First Lady of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman to maintain her own career while serving as first lady, and also the first Catholic and first Greek American to serve in this position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Truitt</span> 24th North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Catherine Truitt is an American educator and politician who has served as the 24th North Carolina superintendent of public instruction since January 2, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Truitt previously served as senior advisor on education to North Carolina governor Pat McCrory from 2015 to 2017. She has been the chancellor of the online Western Governors University North Carolina since its establishment in 2017. Truitt ran for reelection in 2024, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Michele Morrow.

Dorothy Ann "Dottie" Martin is an American educator and real estate broker who, as the wife of Governor James G. Martin, served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. As first lady, she supported protections for children and substance abuse prevention efforts. Martin also relandscaped the grounds of the North Carolina Executive Mansion and contributed to the establishment of a program within the North Carolina Department of Transportation for planting wildflower beds along state highways. She also served as the chairwoman of the North Carolina Commission on Child Victimization and the North Carolina Commission on the Family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanelle C. Moore</span> First Lady of North Carolina

Jeanelle Coulter Moore was an American schoolteacher, patron of the arts, and civic leader who, as the wife of Governor Dan K. Moore, served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1965 to 1969. She was the first wife of a governor in North Carolina to have a full-time secretary and maintain her own office in the North Carolina Executive Mansion, and she served as president of the Sir Walter Cabinet while her husband was in office. She was responsible for the creation of the Executive Mansion Fine Arts Committee within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which provides funding to restore and decorate the official residence, and established a chapel at the Raleigh Correctional Center for Women. Prior to her time as first lady, Moore served as a board member of the North Carolina Fund and of the North Carolina School of the Arts, having been appointed by Governor Terry Sanford. In 1980 she received the North Carolina Award for Public service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Gardner Hoey</span> First Lady of North Carolina

Margaret Elizabeth Hoey was an American civic leader and political hostess who served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1937 to 1941. She was part of the "Shelby Dynasty" and is the only North Carolinian first lady to be the wife of one governor, Clyde R. Hoey, and the sister of another governor, Oliver Max Gardner. While serving as first lady, Hoey focused on issues related to women's roles and children's welfare, advocated for highway beautification across the state, and established a green house for exotic plants at the state penitentiary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornelia Deaderick Glenn</span> First Lady of North Carolina

Cornelia Deaderick Glenn was an American society hostess and temperance activist who, as the wife of Robert Broadnax Glenn, served as First Lady of North Carolina from 1905 to 1909. She was involved in the temperance movement and avidly supported her husband's 1908 Prohibition campaign that banned liquor statewide. A devout Presbyterian, she was the founder of one of Winston-Salem's first benevolent societies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Entertainer, Daily (March 25, 2016). "Ann McCrory NC Gov. Pat McCrory's Wife (Bio)". DailyEntertainmentNews.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Observer, Michael Gordon and Marion Paynter/Charlotte (January 11, 2013). "Ann McCrory, a private woman, moves into a public role". Winston-Salem Journal.
  3. ↑ "W.P. Gordon Was Minister Over 50 Years". The Courier-Journal . Louisville, Kentucky: Barry Bingham Sr. March 12, 1960. p. 11. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  4. ↑ "First Ladies and Gentlemen of North Carolina | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org.
  5. ↑ "2014 - 2015 DIRECTORY OF STATE AND COUNTY OFFICIALS OF NORTH CAROLINA" (PDF). www.sosnc.gov. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Christensen, Rob (December 8, 2016). "Why NC's first GOP governor in a generation lost". The News & Observer . Raleigh, North Carolina: Sara Glines. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  7. ↑ McCleary, Nancy (June 8, 2015). "Cause of wreck that killed former Tribal Chairman Jimmy Goins unknown". Fayetteville Observer (Published on VCNAA). Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Former NC Governor Pat McCrory not running for governor but eyeing U.S. Senate in 2022". wcnc.com. December 19, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Staff reports (August 25, 2017). "Former Gov. Pat McCrory buys house on Lake James". McDowellNews.com.
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Bob Eaves (as First Gentleman)
 First Lady of North Carolina
2013–2017		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.