Picture of the Day

This is a White House photo of some North Carolina political heavyweights of the 20th century. They were at the White House for battleship USS North Carolina restoration commissioning ceremonies. They are left to right: Greensboro's Skipper Bowles (Erskine's Dad and the first unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor; he ran in 1972), U. S. Sen. B. Everett Jordan, Governor Luther Hodges (then Secretary of Commerce), U. S. Senator Sam Ervin, Governor Terry Sanford (to the right of President Kennedy.

Governor Sanford was very influential with President Kennedy. In 1960, he was the first southern Governor to endorse President Kennedy, and he gave the seconding speech for Kennedy at the 1960 Democratic convention.