Gov. Dan Killian Moore

About

DAN KILLIAN MOORE was born in Asheville, North Carolina, on April 2, 1906, and he grew up in Sylva. He graduated from University of North Carolina (UNC) in 1927 with a B.S. in commerce and attended the UNC School of Law. After graduating from law school in 1929, he returned to Sylva, established a private law practice and was named county attorney. In 1941, he was elected to the state legislature. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army medical unit as a paratrooper in the European Theatre. In 1948 Moore was appointed a Superior Court judge by Governor R. Gregg Cherry. He held the post for 10 years and then became division counsel for Champion Papers Inc. in Canton. Soon after, he was named assistant secretary of the firm. In 1964, he left Champion and successfully ran for governor. Moore headed a quiet administration during a turbulent period. During his term from 1965 to 1969, legislation passed giving teachers the largest pay increase in the state’s history. He led a successful campaign for a $300-million highway bond issue, strongly supported the Good Neighbor Council for better race relations, helped create the State Court of Appeals, worked to repeal the Speaker Ban Law passed during the previous session of the General Assembly, activated study commissions for good government, eliminated high school textbook fees, and brought more than $8 billion in new and expanded industry to North Carolina. During his tenure, Governor Moore chaired the Southern Governors’ Conference from 1967 to 1968. After leaving office, Moore entered private law practice in Raleigh, but he soon was asked by Governor Bob Scott to fill a vacancy on the State Supreme Court, where he served until 1978. He then returned to private law practice with the Raleigh firm of Moore, Ragsdale, Liggett, Ray & Foley, P.A. until his death on September 7, 1986.

Source

Governors of the American States, Commonwealths, and Territories, National Governors’ Conference, 1968.

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