Martin Luther Nesbitt Jr. (September 25, 1946 – March 6, 2014) was a Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. He represented the 49th district (Buncombe County). An attorney from Asheville, North Carolina, Nesbitt was elected to eleven terms in the state House before moving to the state senate in 2004.
Martin Nesbitt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minority Leader of the North Carolina Senate | |
| In office January 1, 2011 – March 2, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Phil Berger |
| Succeeded by | Dan Blue |
| Majority Leader of the North Carolina Senate | |
| In office November 17, 2009 – January 1, 2011 | |
| Leader | Marc Basnight |
| Preceded by | Tony Rand |
| Succeeded by | Harry Brown |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate from the 49th district | |
| In office February 6, 2004 – March 6, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Metcalf |
| Succeeded by | Terry Van Duyn |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives | |
| In office January 1, 1997 – February 6, 2004 | |
| Preceded by | Larry R. Linney |
| Succeeded by | Susan Fisher |
| Constituency | 51st district (1997–2003) 114th district (2003–2004) |
| In office September 13, 1979 – January 1, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Mary Cordell Nesbitt |
| Succeeded by | Lanier M. Cansler Larry R. Linney Wilma Sherrill |
| Constituency | 43rd district (1979–1983) 51st district (1983–1995) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Martin Luther Nesbitt Jr. September 25, 1946 Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | March 6, 2014 (aged 67) Asheville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (AB, JD) |
Political career
editNesbitt was first appointed to the House in 1979 to fill out the remainder of the term of his mother, Mary Cordell Nesbitt, who held the House seat until her death. Groomed by one of North Carolina's most famous and influential politicians, Liston Ramsey, Nesbitt rose to become an appropriations chairman and top budget writer in the 1990s. Former Speaker of the House Jim Black (who was later incarcerated) found disfavor with Nesbitt after Nesbitt challenged his power in the early 2000s.
In February 2004, Martin Nesbitt was appointed to the North Carolina Senate by Governor Mike Easley to fill the vacant seat left by the resignation of Steve Metcalf. After moving to the Senate, Nesbitt rose to become chairman of the powerful Judiciary I Civil Committee.
Nesbitt was unanimously elected majority leader on November 17, 2009, replacing Tony Rand.[1][2] Prior to his election, he received an endorsement from Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight, a powerful nod in North Carolina politics.[3] After Democrats lost their Senate majority in the 2010 elections, Nesbitt was unanimously elected minority leader for the next legislature.[4] He stepped down as minority leader in 2014 for health reasons, and was succeeded by Sen. Daniel T. Blue Jr.[5] Within two days of resigning from the leadership, Nesbitt died.[6][7]
Committees
editNesbitt was in several senate committees:[8]
- Appropriations/Base Budget
- Commerce
- Finance
- Judiciary I
- Mental Health & Youth Services
- Redistricting
- Rules and Operations of the Senate
- State and Local Government
Education and personal life
editNesbitt earned his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970 and his law degree from UNC in 1973.[9][10] He was married with two grown children and two grandchildren at the time of his death.
He died on March 6, 2014, one week after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was 67.[7]
Electoral history
edit2012
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin Nesbitt (incumbent) | 61,826 | 61.96% | |
| Republican | R. L. Clark | 37,953 | 38.04% | |
| Total votes | 99,779 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2010
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin Nesbitt (incumbent) | 33,254 | 59.37% | |
| Republican | R. L. Clark | 22,757 | 40.63% | |
| Total votes | 56,011 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2008
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin Nesbitt (incumbent) | 56,150 | 65.64% | |
| Republican | R. L. Clark | 29,391 | 34.36% | |
| Total votes | 85,541 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2006
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin Nesbitt (incumbent) | 36,901 | 65.64% | |
| Republican | R. L. Clark | 19,318 | 34.36% | |
| Total votes | 56,219 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2004
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin Nesbitt (incumbent) | 43,727 | 61.40% | |
| Republican | R. L. Clark | 27,492 | 38.60% | |
| Total votes | 71,669 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2002
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Martin Nesbitt (incumbent) | 12,516 | 60.95% | |
| Republican | Bill Porter | 7,097 | 34.56% | |
| Libertarian | Clarence Young | 921 | 4.49% | |
| Total votes | 20,534 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
edit- ^ "Nesbitt elected majority leader". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 17, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Johnson, Mark (November 17, 2009). "Nesbitt: Warrior to majority leader". News & Observer. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013.
- ^ News & Observer: Nesbitt gets Basnight nod Archived 2012-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "NC Senate Democrats choose leaders". The News & Observer. December 18, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Burns, Matthew; Binker, Mark (March 4, 2014). "Blue to replace ailing Nesbitt as leader of Senate Dems". WRAL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Frank, John (March 7, 2014). "Morning Memo: Remembering state Sen. Martin Nesbitt". The News & Observer. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ a b Chambers Jr., Stan (March 6, 2014). "State Senator Martin Nesbitt dies from stomach cancer". WRAL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Office of the Senate Principal Clerk (September 17, 2012). "Senate Committee Assignments by Member" (PDF). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ "North Carolina manual [serial]".
- ^ "Official Profile: North Carolina (NC) State Senator Martin Luther Nesbitt, Jr. [NC Senate]". Freedom Speaks. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013.
- ^ [1] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- ^ [2] North Carolina State Board Of Elections.
- ^ [3] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- ^ [4] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- ^ [5] North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- ^ [6] North Carolina State Board of Elections.