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Biography

A lifelong North Carolinian, Daniel T. Blue, Jr. was born in Lumberton to Daniel T. Blue, Sr. and Allene Morris Blue on April 18, 1949. Growing up in his parent's four-room farmhouse in Robeson County, Dan quickly learned that the values of hard work, faith, and education were the keys to a successful future – lessons learned from his parents, his teachers and his community. Never losing sight of those values, Dan has worked hard his entire life to help provide North Carolinians with the same opportunities to succeed.

After working hard in North Carolina public schools (Dan was Valedictorian of his high school class in Robeson County), Dan attended North Carolina Central University, where he earned a degree in Mathematics. He graduated in 1973 from the Duke University School of Law.

First elected to the North Carolina House of Representative in 1980, Dan Blue has spent his entire career in public life fighting for the interests of working families: better education for our kids, jobs and economic development for the state, workers' comp and workers' safety, access to health care, and retirement security for our seniors. He has consistently been rated one of the most effective members of the General Assembly.

In 1991, Dan was elected Speaker of the House, where he cut millions of dollars in wasteful government spending, creating the climate for the state's unprecedented economic growth in the 1990's. As Speaker, he was responsible for the passage of an unprecedented series of workplace safety initiatives, and for many innovative programs to improve our public schools and reform our criminal justice system.

In addition to serving as Speaker of the House, Dan has served as Chairman of the Judiciary and Appropriations committees. He is past President of the National Conference of State Legislatures and served on the executive committee of the Southern Legislative Conference. Dan is a founding partner of Thigpen, Blue, Stephens & Fellers, a law firm in Raleigh, NC. Dan holds nine honorary degrees and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Duke University.

Dan Blue resides in Raleigh with his wife, the former Edna Earle Smith. They have three adult children, Daniel III, Kanika, and Dhamian. The family attends Davie Street Presbyterian Church where Dan serves as an Elder.