Former U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth of North Carolina, a onetime conservative Democrat who switched late in his career to the Republicans and then got elected to Congress, died Thursday. He was 95.
Faircloth, who served one Senate term before losing to then-unknown Democrat John Edwards in 1998, died at his home in Clinton, said Brad Crone, a former campaign aide and close friend.
While in the Senate, the millionaire businessman and Sampson County farmer was known as one of the most partisan senators, blasting Bill and Hillary Clinton and calling for the dismantling of Cabinet departments and other federal agencies. He also got attention as a subcommittee chairman who oversaw the District of Columbia, taking on then-Mayor Marion Barry and taking away his powers.
Sanford rewarded Faircloth with an appointment to the state Highway Commission, which he chaired later under Gov. Bob Scott. He was Gov. Jim Hunt’s commerce secretary from 1977 to 1983. Faircloth was putting together his own Senate bid in 1986 when his old friend Sanford entered the race, causing him to stand down. A few years later, he became a Republican, saying the Democratic Party had changed, not him.“For close to 50 years, I’ve been a businessman making a payroll on Fridays,” Faircloth said during his 1998 reelection bid. “I hope 50 years in business will bring a little common sense to Washington.
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