William L. Wainwright (October 19, 1947 – July 17, 2012) was a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's twelfth House district, including constituents in Craven and Lenoir counties. A church elder from Havelock, North Carolina, Wainwright was serving in his eleventh term in the state House of Representatives when he died in office after a prolonged illness.[6]
Biography
William Wainwright was born in Somerville, Tennessee and graduated with a BS degree from Memphis State University in 1970.[7] He was pastor of Piney Grove AME Zion Church from 1985 to 1993.[8]
In January 2007, Wainwright was nominated by his colleagues in the Democratic caucus as Speaker pro tempore of the House.[9] He was elected on January 24, making him the first African American to serve in the number-two post in the House since Reconstruction.[10] He was re-elected Speaker pro tempore in 2009.[11] After Democrats lost their House majority, Wainwright was elected deputy minority leader.[12]
Footnotes
- ^ "North Carolina State House of Representatives 2007-2008". Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ "North Carolina State House of Representatives 1991-1992". Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ "North Carolina State House of Representatives 2011-2012". Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ "North Carolina State House of Representatives 1993-1994". Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ "North Carolina State House of Representatives 2003-2004". Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ News & Observer: Rep. William Wainwright, a leading Democrat, has died Archived 2012-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "North Carolina manual [serial]".
- ^ North Carolina Manual 1995–1996. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State.
- ^ Archived June 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ http://www.stategovernmentradio.com/articlePrint.html?section=25&aid=15878 [dead link]
- ^ Beckwith, Ryan Teague (January 28, 2009). "Wainwright named House's No. 2". Raleigh News & Observer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ Christensen, Rob (January 19, 2011). "Democratic House team announced". Raleigh News & Observer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
External links