Honoring the Legacy of Former Senator Lauch Faircloth: A Remarkable ‘One-Term Wonder’

For those reporters with vivid memories of former Sen. Lauch (pronounced “Lock”) Faircloth, it was hard to believe that the North Carolina Republican had served only one term (1992-98).

Perhaps even harder to fathom was that Faircloth — who died Sept. 14 at age 95 — was actually a Democrat who had worked for three Democrat governors before becoming a Republican less than two years before his dramatic election to the Senate.

Upon taking office, he proclaimed himself the more conservative senator from North Carolina — a tongue-in-cheek contrast to the state’s senior Republican senator, conservative icon Jesse Helms.

He was a vigorous opponent to wasteful federal welfare programs and his insistence on “tough love” workfare was pivotal to Democrat President Bill Clinton finally signing Republican-backed welfare reform in 1996 (after twice vetoing similar measures).

As chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the District of Columbia, Faircloth led the charge to put many city operations in receivership and turn them over to a financial control board. Controversial Mayor Marion Barry, stripped of most of his power, denounced what he called “the rape of democracy.”

“I’ve heard so many meaningless statements from Marion Barry that one more doesn’t matter,” Faircloth told the New York Times in 1997, “It’s airy persiflage.”

Duncan McLauchlin Faircloth dropped out of High Point (N.C.) College after three months when his father suffered a severe stroke and young “Lauch” was forced to take over the family’s hog farm. His three older brothers, all of whom had served in World War II, had abjured farming for other careers.

The youngest Faircloth took to hog farming as did the proverbial duck to water. Within a few years, he had gone from family farmer to increasingly wealthy agribusinessman. He also bought farm and timber land and expanded his agricultural holdings into concrete and construction companies as well as an auto dealership.

He became interested in politics and volunteered for the 1950 campaign of appointed Democrat senator Frank Porter Graham. Considered a liberal by North Carolina standards, Graham faced a stiff primary challenge from conservative Willis Smith (whose press secretary was the young Helms).

Sen. Sanford and Lauch were real friends and [Sanford] had helped him in his race for governor in 1984,” Glen Downs, who became Faircloth’s legislative assistant in the Senate, recalled to Newsmax, “But times and circumstances changed in 1992.”

Twice married and twice divorced, Faircloth spent much of his twilight years with his daughter and two grandchildren. He often visited onetime colleague Helms in an assisted living facility. Faircloth, onetime aide Downs told us, “would ask Sen. Helms if he did something scandalous in the 1950 Senate primary and Helms would reply, ‘No, but I know who did.’

“And, he patched things up with Terry Sanford,” Downs added.

“Lauch was the exact opposite of the blow-dried, poll-driven politicians who unfortunately litter the American landscape today,” said veteran North Carolina political pundit Marc Rotterman, “He had biting wit and he got directly to the point.

And he was effective. “North Carolina and America have lost an American original.”

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.