Location: US 158 at Harrell's Church Rd. northwest of Gatesville
County: Gates
Original Date Cast: 2019
When Thaddeus Armie Eure first ran for statewide office, his loyalty was to the “Shelby Dynasty,” which brought to office Governors O. Max Gardner, J.C.B. Ehringhaus, and Clyde Hoey. Like Hoey, Eure is remembered for his attire, typically sporting a red bowtie, oversize hornrims, and a straw boater. Elected North Carolina Secretary of State in 1936, he served in the post until 1989, for a total of fifty-two years (longer than Robert Byrd’s fifty-one in the U.S. Senate). To the regret of archivists, he signed documents in green ink, a habit he picked up from “Big Jim Farley,” Franklin Roosevelt’s campaign manager in 1932. A member of the Council of State, he served alongside thirteen governors. He liked to call himself the “oldest rat in the Democratic barn.”
Born in 1899 Thad Eure was the son of Tazewell Eure, a legislator in 1925 and 1927. Their home was demolished in 1997. Thad Eure’s brother, also named Tazewell, long served as Gates County Register of Deeds and his son, Thad Jr., founded a Raleigh eatery, the Angus Barn. The Secretary of State ate most days at the Mecca in downtown Raleigh, where he had his usual “hamburger sandwich and glass of beer.” He graduated from the University of North Carolina and earned a law degree there in 1922; his education was interrupted by World War I when he served as a private. His political career started in 1923 when he was elected mayor of Winton. His bid for Secretary of State came in 1936 when he asked voters to “give a young man a chance.” He was sworn into office early, on December 21, 1936. President Ronald Reagan in 1987 honored him as the nation’s longest serving public official, counting his terms as legislator and mayor to account for 64 years total. Controversy rarely touched Eure, the exception being in 1963 when he drafted the Speaker Ban Law for the legislature.
From 1959 until his death, he chaired the board of trustees at Elon College. He received many accolades and awards and was proud to be named both a Kentucky Colonel and the King of the Ramps. An unusual distinction was the relationship he maintained with the State Highway Patrol. His single term in the N.C. House in 1929 coincided with the founding of the Highway Patrol. As Secretary of State, he was invited each year to speak to the graduating class of new recruits. As his health failed, and his eyesight diminished, in 1985 he gave up driving and Governor Jim Martin assigned patrolmen to drive him to and from the office. Eure died on July 21, 1993. His body lay in state in the State Capitol rotunda, a rare honor.
References:
North Carolina Manual, 1937, 1987-1988
Charlotte Observer, June 16, 1984
(Raleigh) News and Observer, July 22, 1993
Thomas R. Butchko, Forgotten Gates: The Historical Architecture of a Rural North Carolina County (1991)
Thad Eure Collection, Elon University
Location: US 158 at Harrell's Church Rd. northwest of Gatesville