Martin Lancaster
Encyclopedia
Harold Martin Lancaster (born March 24, 1943) is the former President of the North Carolina Community College System
and former Chair
of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges. He was also United States Representative from North Carolina
from 1987 to 1995.
Lancaster was raised on a tobacco
farm in rural
Wayne County, North Carolina
and spent his childhood working in the fields; he went to the small local school and participated in local church youth activities. In 1957, he served as a Page in the North Carolina House of Representatives
and in 1959, as Chief Page.
In 1961, Lancaster went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, and entered the law school at UNC after his junior year in college as a Law Alumni Scholar, graduating in 1967.
After graduating, he joined the United States Navy
, serving on active duty as a judge advocate for three years, eighteen months of which were spent on the USS Hancock (CV-19)
off the coast of Vietnam
. Lancaster continued to serve as a reservist until 1993.
After his military service he returned to North Carolina and set up a law practice with a college classmate. In 1977, Governor
Jim Hunt
appointed him Chairman of the North Carolina Arts Council
, a position he held for four years. This led to elective office, first to eight years in the North Carolina House of Representatives
and ultimately to the U.S. Congress.
In Congress, he served on the Armed Services, Small Business
, Agriculture
, and Merchant Marine & Fisheries Committees. His major committee was Armed Services. Lancaster also represented the House for six years at the Chemical Weapons Convention negotiations in Geneva
.
Lancaster was reelected three times without serious difficulty. However, in 1994 he faced a very credible Republican
challenger in Walter Jones, Jr., a former Democratic state representative who had recently switched parties. Lancaster's district had absorbed a large amount of the territory once represented by Jones' father, Walter B. Jones, Sr.
, in the 1990s round of redistricting. The race was initially fairly close until Walter, Jr. circulated a picture of Lancaster jogging with Bill Clinton
, whose socially liberal stances (especially on allowing gays in the military) had angered voters in this socially conservative Eastern North Carolina district. In the general election, Lancaster was defeated by 11 points—one of many moderate Democrats in the South to be defeated in the Republican landslide that year.
Lancaster worked briefly for Governor Jim Hunt
handling federal issues. President Clinton then asked that he assist him with the ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention
, which he accepted. In the fall of 1995, the president nominated Lancaster to become Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, a position for which the U.S. Senate confirmed him in January 1996. In this capacity, Lancaster was primarily responsible for policy development and advocacy for the Army Corps of Engineers before the Office of Management and Budget, the White House, and the Congress.
In 1997, Lancaster was chosen President of the North Carolina Community College System
. Lancaster sought to increase state and private funding for facilities, equipment, faculty salaries and instruction and to strengthen the system’s essential role in workforce and economic development. He led community college participation in the successful Higher Education Bond referendum of 2000, which included $600 million for community college construction, repair and renovation. He focused particular efforts on increasing the role of community colleges in preparing “homegrown teachers” for public schools and in workforce training for biotechnology and other high–tech industries. In the summer of 2003, he was elected Chair of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges.
In March 2007, Lancaster announced that he would retire as system president in the spring of 2008. http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/554293.html After the announcement, a column in the (Raleigh) News and Observer praised his service, comparing him to former UNC system president William C. Friday
. The columnist wrote that "Lancaster has well-served all of the [colleges] by making it clear to legislators that community colleges are a key, perhaps the key, to the state's economic growth and recruitment of jobs." He was named President Emeritus of the community college system in April 2008.
In March 2008, Lancaster announced that in September he would be joining the largest law firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan. He will serve in an "of counsel
" position with the firm, concentrating in regulatory and administrative law.
Lancaster was made an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2011, for his services to the people of Northern Ireland
.
North Carolina Community College System
The North Carolina Community College System is a statewide network of fifty-eight public community colleges. Each college has a distinct governance system and policies. In total, the system enrolls over 800,000 students, and is the third largest community college system in the nation...
and former Chair
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges. He was also United States Representative from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
from 1987 to 1995.
Lancaster was raised on a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
farm in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Wayne County, North Carolina
Wayne County, North Carolina
- Cities and towns :*Brogden*Dudley*Elroy*Eureka*Fremont*Goldsboro*Mar-Mac*Mount Olive*Pikeville*Rosewood*Seven Springs*Walnut Creek*Grantham-Geography:According to the U.S...
and spent his childhood working in the fields; he went to the small local school and participated in local church youth activities. In 1957, he served as a Page in the North Carolina House of Representatives
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
and in 1959, as Chief Page.
In 1961, Lancaster went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, and entered the law school at UNC after his junior year in college as a Law Alumni Scholar, graduating in 1967.
After graduating, he joined the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, serving on active duty as a judge advocate for three years, eighteen months of which were spent on the USS Hancock (CV-19)
USS Hancock (CV-19)
USS Hancock was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress and first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
off the coast of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Lancaster continued to serve as a reservist until 1993.
After his military service he returned to North Carolina and set up a law practice with a college classmate. In 1977, Governor
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
Jim Hunt
Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician who was the 69th and 71st Governor of the state of North Carolina . He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history.-Early life:...
appointed him Chairman of the North Carolina Arts Council
North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council is an organization in the U.S. state of North Carolina that provides grants to artists, musicians, and arts organizations. The group's mission is "To Make North Carolina a Better State Through the Arts." It was founded by executive order in 1964, and it became a...
, a position he held for four years. This led to elective office, first to eight years in the North Carolina House of Representatives
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the state senate....
and ultimately to the U.S. Congress.
In Congress, he served on the Armed Services, Small Business
United States House Committee on Small Business
The United States House Committee on Small Business is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.-History:On December 4, 1941, the U. S...
, Agriculture
United States House Committee on Agriculture
The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of some federal agencies, and it can recommend funding...
, and Merchant Marine & Fisheries Committees. His major committee was Armed Services. Lancaster also represented the House for six years at the Chemical Weapons Convention negotiations in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
Lancaster was reelected three times without serious difficulty. However, in 1994 he faced a very credible Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
challenger in Walter Jones, Jr., a former Democratic state representative who had recently switched parties. Lancaster's district had absorbed a large amount of the territory once represented by Jones' father, Walter B. Jones, Sr.
Walter B. Jones, Sr.
Walter Beaman Jones, Sr. , was an American politician from the state of North Carolina who served in the United States House of Representatives, and was the father of Walter Beaman Jones, Jr., who is currently a Representative for the Republican Party.Jones was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina,...
, in the 1990s round of redistricting. The race was initially fairly close until Walter, Jr. circulated a picture of Lancaster jogging with Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, whose socially liberal stances (especially on allowing gays in the military) had angered voters in this socially conservative Eastern North Carolina district. In the general election, Lancaster was defeated by 11 points—one of many moderate Democrats in the South to be defeated in the Republican landslide that year.
Lancaster worked briefly for Governor Jim Hunt
Jim Hunt
James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician who was the 69th and 71st Governor of the state of North Carolina . He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history.-Early life:...
handling federal issues. President Clinton then asked that he assist him with the ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention
Chemical Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control agreement which outlaws the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons. Its full name is the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction...
, which he accepted. In the fall of 1995, the president nominated Lancaster to become Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, a position for which the U.S. Senate confirmed him in January 1996. In this capacity, Lancaster was primarily responsible for policy development and advocacy for the Army Corps of Engineers before the Office of Management and Budget, the White House, and the Congress.
In 1997, Lancaster was chosen President of the North Carolina Community College System
North Carolina Community College System
The North Carolina Community College System is a statewide network of fifty-eight public community colleges. Each college has a distinct governance system and policies. In total, the system enrolls over 800,000 students, and is the third largest community college system in the nation...
. Lancaster sought to increase state and private funding for facilities, equipment, faculty salaries and instruction and to strengthen the system’s essential role in workforce and economic development. He led community college participation in the successful Higher Education Bond referendum of 2000, which included $600 million for community college construction, repair and renovation. He focused particular efforts on increasing the role of community colleges in preparing “homegrown teachers” for public schools and in workforce training for biotechnology and other high–tech industries. In the summer of 2003, he was elected Chair of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges.
In March 2007, Lancaster announced that he would retire as system president in the spring of 2008. http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/554293.html After the announcement, a column in the (Raleigh) News and Observer praised his service, comparing him to former UNC system president William C. Friday
William C. Friday
William Clyde "Bill" Friday He was born in Raphine, Virginia and raised in Dallas, North Carolina. He served as the head of the University of North Carolina system from 1956 to 1986....
. The columnist wrote that "Lancaster has well-served all of the [colleges] by making it clear to legislators that community colleges are a key, perhaps the key, to the state's economic growth and recruitment of jobs." He was named President Emeritus of the community college system in April 2008.
In March 2008, Lancaster announced that in September he would be joining the largest law firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan. He will serve in an "of counsel
Of counsel
Of counsel is often the title of an attorney who is employed by a law firm or an organization, but is not an associate or a partner. Some firms use titles like "counsel," "special counsel," and "senior counsel" for the same concept...
" position with the firm, concentrating in regulatory and administrative law.
Lancaster was made an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2011, for his services to the people of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.