Biography
Born in South Carolina, Cherry grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina with relatives after the death of his parents. He earned bachelor's and law degrees at Trinity College (now Duke University). He organized and led a volunteer artillery company during World War I.
Cherry served as mayor of Gastonia, as a member and speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, as chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party (1937–1940), and as a member of the North Carolina Senate. In Gastonia, it was joked that he was the best lawyer in town when sober, and the second-best lawyer in town when drunk.
In 1944, Cherry was elected governor as the last in a series of governors affiliated with the political machine of former Gov. O. Max Gardner. Gov. Cherry inherited an economy facing material and labor shortages as a result of the ongoing Second World War. One of his primary focuses during his term was the improvement of mental health care at state-run facilities. Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina, is named for him.
Unlike other Southern Democratic governors, Cherry supported Harry S. Truman for re-election in 1948. Cherry retired from politics and returned to the practice of law after his one term as governor (the maximum then allowed by the state constitution).
Read more about this topic: R. Gregg Cherry
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