Nick Galifianakis (politician)

Nick Galifianakis (/ˌɡælɪfəˈnækɪs/; July 22, 1928 – March 27, 2023) was an American politician, military veteran, and lawyer from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives of Durham County, North Carolina from 1961 to 1967. He then served three terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973.

Nick Galifianakis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by	Ralph James Scott
Succeeded by	Ike Franklin Andrews
Constituency	5th district (1967–1969) 4th district (1969–1973)
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from Durham County
In office February 8, 1961 – February 8, 1967
Preceded by	Multi-member district
Succeeded by	Multi-member district
Personal details
Born	(1928-07-22)July 22, 1928 Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	March 27, 2023(2023-03-27) (aged 94) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Louise Cheatham ​ ​ (m. 1963)​
Children	2
Relatives	Zach Galifianakis (nephew) Nick Galifianakis (nephew)
Education	Duke University (BA, LLB)
Profession	Attorney college professor
Military service
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps Reserve
Years of service	1956–1976
Rank	Major

Early life

Galifianakis was born in Durham, North Carolina, the son of Greek immigrants Emmanuel "Mike" Galifianakis and the former Sophia Kastrinakis.^[1][2] He attended local public schools and then Duke University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1951 and a law degree in 1953.^[3]

After serving in the United States Marine Corps from October 1953 to April 1956, Galifianakis entered the Marine Corps Reserves, retiring as a major. He was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Durham. In 1960, he became an assistant professor of business law at Duke.

State legislature

In 1966, he was elected to the first of three consecutive terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives.^[4] During his service in the state legislature, he was a leader in North Carolina’s modernization of the state’s judicial system.^[5]

U.S. Congress

In 1966, Galifianakis was elected to represent North Carolina's 5th congressional district in the United States Congress.^[6] After the state was forced to conduct a mid-decade redistricting for the 1968 elections, he was placed in North Carolina's 4th congressional district, a much more compact district stretching from Durham through Chatham County, North Carolina to Raleigh, North Carolina. He was reelected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1968^[7] and 1970.^[8] Galifianakis voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1968,^[9][10] but was a supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and opposed the Vietnam War.^[5]

Rather than seek a fourth term in the House, Galifianakis instead sought the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate seat held by B. Everett Jordan in the 1972 election, defeating him in the primary. While Galifianakis led his Republican challenger, former television commentator Jesse Helms, by a substantial margin for most of the campaign,^{[citation needed]} Helms closed the gap by tying Galifianakis to his party's presidential nominee George McGovern^[5] and with the late-campaign slogan "Jesse Helms: He's One of Us," which some perceived as a reference to Galifianakis's Greek heritage.^[11][12] Galifianakis knew that McGovern was unpopular in his state and tried to distance himself from him. His prospects were also damaged when several conservative Democrats defected to Helms.^[12] Helms defeated Galifianakis by eight points in the general election.^[13]

Galifianakis sought the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1974. He lost in the primary election, 50–32%, to Robert Burren Morgan, the state's attorney general.^[14]

Later career

After leaving politics, Galifianakis returned to his law practice in Durham and retired in his mid-80s.^[15]

Personal life and death

Galifianakis and his wife, the former Mary Louise Cheatham, married on April 5, 1963 in Durham, North Carolina, and had two children, Jon Mark Galifianakis and Katherine Brackney. He died in his sleep on March 27, 2023 at age 94 in Raleigh, North Carolina, following several years of suffering from Parkinson's disease.^[16]

His nephew Nick Galifianakis is a cartoonist.

His other nephew Zach Galifianakis is an actor and comedian.^[17]

He was interred at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Durham, North Carolina.^[18]

See also

• Biography portal

References

1. Larionov, Denis; Zhulin, Alexander. "Read the eBook North Carolina manual [serial] (Volume 1967) by North Carolina. Secretary of State online for free (page 40 of 59)". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
2. "Herald-Journal – Google News Archive Search". Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
3. "Mr. Nick Galifianakis Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
4. The Ron Stutts Show (January 3, 2017). "One on One: Galifianakis – Nick or Zach?". Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
5. "Former North Carolina Congressman, Senate Candidate Nick Galifianakis Dies at 94". AP News. April 3, 2023.
6. "The Herald-Sun 10 Nov 1966, page 21". November 10, 1966. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "The Herald-Sun 07 Nov 1968, page 1". November 7, 1968. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "The News and Observer 04 Nov 1970, page 1". November 4, 1970. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "House – August 16, 1967" (PDF). Congressional Record. 113 (17). U.S. Government Printing Office: 22778. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
10. "House – April 10, 1968" (PDF). Congressional Record. 114 (8). U.S. Government Printing Office: 9621. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
11. Charlton, Linda (November 8, 1972). "Conservative Republican Victor in North Carolina Senate Race". The New York Times. p. 5.
12. Hunter, Marjorie (October 28, 1972). "Major Races in North Carolina Seem Close". The New York Times. p. 14.
13. "The Daily Tar Heel 08 November 1972, Page 1". November 8, 1972. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "The Charlotte News 09 May 1974, page 1". May 9, 1974. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Nick Galifianakis '53 and John Semonche '67". Duke University School of Law. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
16. "Former congressman, Senate candidate Galifianakis dies at 94". Associated Press. March 30, 2023. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
17. "Zach Galifianakis Stars In 'The Hangover'". NPR. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
18. "Nick Galifianakis Obituary 2023". Hall Wynne Funeral Home. Retrieved September 4, 2024.

External links

• United States Congress. "Nick Galifianakis (id: G000015)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• A Durham Dynamo: One man's political career

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Ralph James Scott	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 5th congressional district January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1969	Succeeded by Wilmer Mizell
Preceded by Jim Gardner	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 4th congressional district January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1973	Succeeded by Ike Franklin Andrews
Party political offices
Preceded by B. Everett Jordan	Democratic Party nominee for United States Senator from North Carolina (Class 2) 1972	Succeeded by John Ingram