David Flaherty

David Thomas Flaherty was born on December 9, 1928, in Boston. He graduated from The English High School{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|1969|p=585}} and served in the U.S. Army. He then attended Boston University, where he was elected student body president before graduating in 1956 with a degree in business administration.{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|1969|p=585}}{{sfn|Grimsley|2003|p=113}} While his parents were Catholics and members of the Democratic Party, Flaherty converted to Methodism and became a member of the Republican Party. He later said of these differences, "I just didn't like being told what to do."{{sfn|Grimsley|2003|p=113}} He married Nancy Hamill on December 6, 1953, and had several children with her.{{sfn|North Carolina Manual|1969|p=585}} In 1955, he moved to Lenoir, North Carolina after being hired by Broyhill Furniture as an assistant sales manager.{{sfn|Grimsley|2003|p=113}} He later became manager of the company's advertising division and head of its plastics division.

Since Broyhill Furniture's owner, James Edgar Broyhill, was heavily involved in Republican politics, Flaherty decided to get involved in the state chapter. By 1960, he was involved in the North Carolina Young Republicans and campaigned for Robert L. Gavin in the 1960 gubernatorial election.{{sfn|Grimsley|2003|p=113}} He was elected to the North Carolina Senate in 1968 and 1970, representing Burke and Caldwell Counties.{{cite news| title = Flaherty To Speak At GOP Dinner| newspaper = The Yancey Journal| pages = 1–2| date = March 18, 1976| url = https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn95072283/1976-03-18/ed-1/seq-1}} As the body was under Democratic control and hostile to Republican proposals, he had little impact on state legislation.{{sfn|Grimsley|2003|p=113}}

Flaherty supported James Holshouser in the 1972 gubernatorial election. After Holshouser won, he appointed Flaherty Secretary of the Department of Human Resources (DHS){{sfn|Grimsley|2003|p=113}} on January 5, 1973. He served until 1976{{sfn|Cheney|1981|p=428}} and restructured the department during his tenure. He ran as a candidate for governor in 1976. At this time the North Carolina Republican Party was divided between a moderate group led by Holshouser and a more conservative group led by U.S. Senator Jesse Helms. Flaherty expended significant resources to defeat conservative Coy Privette in the Republican primary election, and faced Democratic Lieutenant Governor Jim Hunt in the general election.{{sfn|Grimsley|2003|pp=113–114}} Hunt largely ignored Flaherty and campaigned on his own issues, defeating him with 65 percent of the vote in the November election. Flaherty quickly conceded and congratulated Hunt on receiving the "mandate from the people he asked for".{{sfn|Grimsley|2003|p=115}} He chaired the North Carolina Republican Party before becoming chairman of the Employment Security Commission and then Secretary of DHS under Governor James G. Martin.{{sfn|Hood|2015|pp=162, 204}}

Flaherty's wife died in 2019. He died on December 20, 2020, aged 92, at his home in Cary, North Carolina, following years of declining health.{{cite web| url = https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2020/12/30/ex-cabinet-member--n-c--governor-nominee-flaherty-dies-at-92| title = Ex-Cabinet Member, N.C. Governor Nominee Flaherty Dies at 92| date = December 29, 2020| website = Spectrum News 1| agency = Associated Press | access-date = May 12, 2022}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book| editor-last = Cheney| editor-first = John L. Jr. | title = North Carolina Government, 1585-1979 : A Narrative and Statistical History| publisher = North Carolina Secretary of State| edition = revised| date = 1981| location = Raleigh | oclc = 1290270510}}
• {{cite book| last = Grimsley| first = Wayne| title = James B. Hunt: A North Carolina Progressive| publisher = McFarland| date = 2003| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=y2qhSNg3lAAC| isbn = 9780786416073}}
• {{cite book| last = Hood| first = John| title = Catalyst: Jim Martin and the Rise of North Carolina Republicans| publisher = John F. Blair, Publisher| date = 2015| location = Winston-Salem| isbn = 9780895876577}}
• {{cite book| title = North Carolina Manual| publisher = North Carolina Secretary of State| date = 1969| location = Raleigh| url = https://archive.org/details/northcarolinama1969nort/| oclc = 436873840|ref={{harvid|North Carolina Manual|1969}}}}

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{{s-bef|before=James Holshouser}}

{{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for Governor of North Carolina|years=1976}}

{{s-aft|after=I. Beverly Lake Jr.}}

{{s-bef|before=Asa T. Spaulding Jr.}}

{{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State|years=1980}}

{{s-aft|after=Patric G. Dorsey}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Flaherty, David}}

Category:1928 births

Category:2020 deaths

Category:State political party chairs of North Carolina

Category:North Carolina Republicans

Category:Politicians from Boston

Category:State cabinet secretaries of North Carolina