Dan Forest
| Dan Forest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 34th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina | |
|
Assumed office January 7, 2013 | |
| Governor | Pat McCrory |
| Preceded by | Walter Dalton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 15, 1967 Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Alice Forest |
| Alma mater |
University of North Carolina, Charlotte |
| Religion | Christianity |
Dan Forest (born October 15, 1967) is the 34th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. A Republican, Forest is an architect by trade. Prior to his run for Lt. Governor, he was the senior partner and office president of North Carolina’s largest architectural firm, Little Diversified Architectural Consulting. He is also the son of former U.S. Representative and former Charlotte Mayor Sue Myrick. Forest lives in Raleigh with his wife, Alice, and his four children.[1]
Early life and education
He holds a degree in architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and formerly served on the UNC Charlotte College of Architecture Advisory Board. He is the former chair of Wake Forest Pregnancy Support Services and former chair of The Triangle Leadership Forum in Raleigh.
Career
In 2012, in his first run for office, Forest placed first (with a 67,000 vote margin of victory) in a crowded May primary election, which included Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives Dale Folwell, Representative Gray Mills, and Wake County Commissioner Tony Gurley. Forest went on to defeat Gurley in a July 17 runoff election, winning 96 of 100 counties, to become the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor.[2] His candidacy was heavily backed by both the Republican Party and the Tea party movement.
In November, Forest defeated former State Representative Linda Coleman in the general election for Lt. Governor. After a provisional ballot recount, Forest's margin of victory was only about 7,000 votes, or .16%.[3] Upon his swearing-in on Jan. 7, 2013,[4][5] Forest became the first Republican Lieutenant Governor since James Carson Gardner left office in 1993, and only the second Republican elected to the office since 1897.
Lieutenant Governor Forest presides over the North Carolina Senate as President of the Senate. He is a member of the North Carolina State Board of Education, the NC State Board of Community Colleges, the NC Board of Economic Development, and the Military Affairs Commission. He is also the chair of the E-Learning Commission and Chairman of the Energy Policy Council. His office is located at the Hawkins-Hartness House in downtown Raleigh.[6]
References
External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Walter Dalton |
Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina 2013–present |
Incumbent |
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